Quinnen Williams Extension Puts Finishing Touches on Cowboys' Micah Parsons Trade

With nearly all of the pieces now in place, who won the Micah Parsons trade between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers?

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 12, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Bengals 27-18. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Dallas Cowboys signed defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to a massive three-year, $105.9 million contract extension on Monday, locking him in for the foreseeable future.

And in the process, the Cowboys put what could be viewed as the finishing touches on the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade that shook the NFL world last August. The New York Jets then got involved with pieces of the trade after sending Williams to the Cowboys before last season's deadline.

With the trade being a potential franchise-altering move for both Dallas and the Green Bay Packers, it's worth revisiting each part of the deal, including how things worked out for the Jets.

Let's look at the Cowboys-Packers Parsons trade as if it were a three-team deal with the Jets.

Cowboys received:

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (92) warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

- DT Quinnen Williams

- DT Kenny Clark

- 2026 first-round pick (Dallas then traded this pick to move down and select Malachi Lawrence)

Packers received:

- Micah Parsons

Jets received:

- DT Mazi Smith

- 2027 first-round pick (from Green Bay via Dallas)

- 2026 second-round pick (traded to Detroit)

Who Won The Trade?

Dallas Cowboys co-owners Jerry Jones, left, and Stephen Jones, right, stand on the field during pregame warmups against the Los Angeles Chargers at AT&T Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The answer to that question remains up in the air. After all, the Jets could use their new 2027 first-round pick to select a franchise-altering player that brings multiple Super Bowls back to the franchise.

But until that unlikely scenario plays out, the clear winner so far is Dallas.

The Cowboys have one of the NFL's best interior duos on the defensive line with Clark and Williams. With seven combined Pro Bowl appearances and 79.5 career sacks between them, Dallas has the core of its defense in place for the next handful of years.

And with Parsons still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in November, it's unclear if he will ever get back to the form he was at during his first 14 games with Green Bay last year. The Packers may not end up getting the franchise-altering results out of Parsons that they anticipated when they traded for him.

One could argue that Clark, 30, will hit a wall soon and won't be as productive. That's a reasonable stance for most players, but Clark has missed just one game over the past five seasons and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

While Parsons will look to reprove himself coming off of injury, expect Clark and Williams to be the catalysts behind Dallas' defensive turnaround this upcoming season.

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