Teams need to be more willing to trade their star players, especially if the team in question is going nowhere. On Tuesday’s Podcast I talked about what the Cowboys have already gotten as a direct result of the Micah Parsons Trade:
- Kenny Clark – IDL
- Quinnen Williams – IDL
- Malachi Lawrence – Edge
And then two other players the Cowboys have gotten that they may not have had the draft pick or cap space to get had they kept Micah:
- Caleb Downs – Safety
- Rashan Gary – Edge
Trading one player has helped them get a good IDL, a great IDL, and a good Edge rusher who are known commodities. Downs and Lawrence are rookies so they are TBD, but Downs may be the best player from the 2026 Draft. And Lawrence joins a stacked defensive line where he will have time to develop as a first round pick.
All in all, the Cowboys will absolutely take those five players over just Micah Parsons. It’s a lesson for all front offices to prioritize getting as many good players as possible, rather than a few great ones.
Another recent trade that illustrates this is the Matthew Stafford – Jared Goff trade. This has been a rare win-win trade. The Rams got their QB and won a Super Bowl while still being contenders.
The Lions were likely going nowhere with Stafford and got their own Franchise QB, who was much younger. They were also able to build their roster with the following players as a direct result of the trade:
- Jahmyr Gibbs – RB
- Sam LaPorta – TE
- Jameson Williams – WR
In addition, the Lions drafted a whole slew of great young players in the subsequent drafts after the trade, which they may not have gotten if not for the trade.
The Lions will be better in the long term with Goff, Gibbs, LaPorta, and Williams than they would be with just Stafford.
A final one to mention. The Chiefs traded WR Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins. The Chiefs proceeded to win back to back Super Bowls and make a third in a row. As a result of the trade, the Chiefs got:
- Trent McDuffie – CB
- Rashee Rice – WR
McDuffie was one of the best players for the Chiefs on all three of those Super Bowl winning/appearing teams. The Chiefs just traded him for multiple picks, including a very talented first round DT from Clemson named Peter Woods, who could be a star for the next decade.
Rice played a big role in the 2023 Super Bowl victory and is the best WR on the team right now.
While getting rid of Hill, they also got addition by subtraction. Not only did they save a ton of cap room, but Hill has had multiple off-the-field incidents that the Chiefs no longer have to deal with.
Don’t be afraid to trade your stars.
Wheelhouse Blog 