After the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, you would have been hard-pressed to find someone who thought Dallas got the better end of the deal.
Trading away the former Penn State standout, who is only one of two players to record 12 or more sacks in their first four seasons in NFL history, seems like a losing scenario.
However, one former NFL head coach thinks the Cowboys didn't lose the trade, and actually thinks they may come out better on the other side.
Jon Gruden Says Cowboys Got the Better End of the Deal
Jon Gruden, former head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, sides with the Cowboys on the Parsons trade, and he says that with a bit of experience when it comes to trading All-Pro defensive ends in the midst of their prime.
When Gruden rejoined the Raiders as head coach in 2018, they were in the midst of a messy contract dispute with Khalil Mack, then-Oakland's own homegrown edge rusher.
"When I went back to coach the Raiders, Khalil Mack was on the team, and he would not return one of my calls." Gruden said during an appearance on the Ronde Barber Show.
"I kind of laugh about it now, but he never wanted to play for us unless we gave him $100 million or whatever it was the agent wanted, which was the highest contract in the history of defense. We didn’t have that kind of money at that time and we waited it out and waited it out and waited it out."
The Raiders ended up shipping Mack to the Chicago Bears in a deal that was similar to the one the Cowboys hammered out with the Packers. Chicago sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Mack and a second-round pick.
Gruden went on to explain his stance, citing the former Nittany Lion's behavior throughout training camp and preseason.
"I just watched Parsons in that preseason game against the Falcons. I didn’t like that at all. I mean, not even wearing his uniform, laying on the bench, that is a toxic look."
While Parsons' attitude can be chalked up to negotiation tactics, it did ruffle some feathers within the Cowboys locker room.
In the end, no one knows for sure who will come out the winner of the Parsons trade. But if Gruden's inclinations are correct, the Cowboys will be just fine.