When a former player with Penn State and NFC East ties says one team won a trade, the reaction carries a little extra weight. On Thursday night, LaVar Arrington said the Cowboys were the winners of the 2025 trade with the Green Bay Packers, and his point was not just about Micah Parsons leaving Dallas. It was about what the Cowboys did next.
Arrington, who played seven NFL seasons, including six with Washington and one with the New York Giants, framed the deal as more than a simple star-for-picks swap. Dallas used one first-round pick in a package to bring in Quinnen Williams and traded back with the other first-round pick. The Cowboys also added two fourth-round selections and created enough salary-cap wiggle room to extend Tyler Smith and DaRon Bland.
That is the part that makes Arrington’s view more than a hot take. The Cowboys did not just turn Micah Parsons into draft compensation. They turned the trade into multiple roster moves, a major addition in Quinnen Williams and enough financial flexibility to keep building around the core they already had. In other words, the value did not stop when the trade was made.
Arrington did not exactly hide how he felt, either. He started to frame the idea as “addition by subtraction,” then stopped himself before finishing the thought, adding, “I’m not going to say it!” The hesitation only made the point clearer. If Dallas can convert a blockbuster move into assets, upgrades and cap room, it is hard to argue that the Cowboys did not come out ahead.
That does not mean the trade is finished telling its story. With Micah Parsons gone, the football case will still be judged on whether Dallas replaced his impact well enough. But as an asset-management play, the Cowboys have already made a strong opening case. They received draft capital, redirected part of it into Quinnen Williams and used the rest to strengthen the roster beyond one headline move.
For a franchise that is always measured against the biggest moments in the NFC East, that kind of follow-through matters. Arrington’s praise was notable because it came from someone who knows both Penn State and the division pressure that follows the Cowboys around. His conclusion was simple enough: in the 2025 trade, Dallas did not merely survive the loss of Micah Parsons. It positioned itself to benefit from it.
