Jerry Jones’ Wild Trade Revelation Makes Jets Look Like Absolute Fools

Jerry Jones made the New York Jets look really bad on Friday.

One day after his team completed a sweep of the Super Bowl LIX teams with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Jones went on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas for his weekly appearance and, unwittingly, slimed the Jets.

Jones didn't mean to slime the Jets. 

Jones Names Price For Williams

He was merely praising defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, whom the Cowboys acquired at the trade deadline. Williams, playing really well since he arrived in Dallas, came in exchange for a second-round pick next season, a first-round pick in 2027 and young defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

The problem with Jones talking up Williams and the trade? 

He made the Jets sound like fools.

Jones said he called the Jets during training camp and asked about trading Parsons to New York in a trade that would include Williams in return. But here's where it gets crazy:

"I actually tried to trade for Williams, I tried to get the Jets in training camp," Jones said. "I wanted a one (first-round pick) and Parsons for Williams. A one and Parsons for Williams. 

"I thought that much of Williams. And he's showing you what he can do for a defense."

Jerry Jones is still overly confident in his Cowboys. (Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

Jets Didn't Have Room For Parsons?

Wait.

We know the Jets and Cowboys talked about a trade involving Williams and Parsons before the Cowboys ultimately dealt Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. But Jones wanted Williams so much, he offered a first-round pick plus Parsons to make the deal?

He has never said that before. Indeed, he previously made it seem as if he was asking more from the Jets than they were willing to give beyond Williams.

This is a different story.

And this:

Jones said the reason the Jets didn't want Parsons and a first-round pick for Williams is because they could not fit Parsons within their salary cap structure.

"They didn't have the cap room to pay Micah," Jones said.

(Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

Making Room For Parsons Should Be No Problem

This had better be wrong because it makes the Jets sound like fools.

Any team, given the opportunity to add a generational player in his prime, can look for ways to create cap room. And if you ask 30 other NFL teams whether they would accept Parsons and a first-round pick in exchange for whatever Pro Bowl defensive tackle is on their roster, they would definitely make that move.

On Thursday, Parsons had 2.5 sacks against the Lions, becoming the first player to record at least 12 in each of his first five NFL season. And Season 5 still has five games left in it.

The Packers fit Parsons under their salary cap structure because he's costing them $9.9 million on the cap this year. And he'll cost them $19.2 million on the cap next year. And, yes, the numbers get significantly higher after that.

But the salary cap also will continue to rise, as it has been doing since the system's inception.

(Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)

Jets Have Plenty Of Cap Space

The Jets, meanwhile, do have cap space under which to fit Parsons. They currently have approximately $18 million of open cap space. And next year they're projected to start with $100 million of unused cap space.

How could they possibly decline to add a generational pass rusher under those circumstances when the deal would have also included them getting a first-round pick? It's lunacy.

Jets coach Aaron Glenn will likely be asked about this issue in the near future. He met with reporters on Friday, but the Jones interview had not yet taken place.

The only way this isn't another troubling example of the Jets doing Jets things — which is the reason they've been so bad so often since their Super Bowl in 1969 — is if Jones is misstating the facts.

If you're a Jets fan, you need to pray Jerry Jones is misstating the facts.