America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, shocked everyone Thursday afternoon after Ian Rapoport dropped a trade bomb report of one of the most surprising roster moves yet. The Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers after a long and bitter contract standoff.
Parsons agreed to a four-year $188 million deal with $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. Not only did the Packers sign Parsons, but they also awarded him a contract that may never pass.
In return, the Cowboys received two first-round draft picks (one in 2026 and another in 2027) and Packers’ defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Now, the Cowboys fans are still recovering from the shocking trade, let’s take a look at who Kenny Clark is and whether he is any good.
Who Is Kenny Clark? And Is He Any Good?
The three-time Pro Bowl (2019, 2021, 2023) DT Clark was drafted by the Packers in 2017 with the 27th overall pick.
According to Pro Football Reference, Clark has appeared in 140 career games, tallying 236 solo tackles, 35 sacks, and seven forced fumbles. The 29-year-old Clark becomes one of the oldest members of Dallas’ defensive front. However, the Cowboys hope the experienced veteran can help mentor younger linemen on the roster.
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— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2025
The #Cowboys are trading All-Pro Micah Parsons to the #Packers & they agreed to a 4-year, $188M deal done by @DavidMulugheta and @AndreOdom of @AthletesFirst including $136M gtd, per me, @TomPelissero & @SlaterNFL.
At $47M per year, Parsons is the highest-paid non-QB… pic.twitter.com/kBjqMTcHJ3
After the shocking trade, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said during Thursday evening’s press conference,
“We gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in on the inside of our defense,”
College Days
Clake played for the UCLA Bruins after four years of high school football and wrestling at Wilmer Amina Carter High School. Coming out of high school, he was a four-star recruit. At UCLA, he quickly established himself as a force on the defensive line. He earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors as a sophomore and broke out as a junior with 75 tackles and six sacks. He was named a first-team All-Pac-12 selection before declaring for the 2016 NFL Draft, forgoing his senior year.
NFL Career
After getting selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Clark signed a four-year rookie deal and developed into a key starter on defense, eventually earning three Pro-Bowl selections. He recorded his first career sack in 2017. Clark played nine seasons with the Packers, signing multiple extensions, including a four-year $70 million deal in 2020 and a three-year $64 million extension in 2024. Prior to the trade to the Cowboys, Clark was the longest tenured Packer on Green Bay’s roster.
During his recent appearance on the Up & Adams show, he emphasized how hungry he was for a ring with Green Bay. Now, he transitions to a Cowboys team whose immediate focus is simply fighting for a playoff spot this season.
“We just don’t got no more time to waste. Week 1 is coming around the corner. We got a tough one with the Lions coming up. We want to get started on the right foot. Like I said earlier, we went 1-5 in the division last year and that just can’t happen. It’s unacceptable and there’s no more time to waste. We got to get to it. I need (a ring),” Clark told Adams.
