Micah Parsons trade is huge win for Packers, disaster for Cowboys; college football Week 1 picks

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Happy Friday, everyone! We have full college football Saturday slates starting tomorrow and running for the next three-plus months. Beautiful.

But before we get there, I've got a quick programming note: This is my last newsletter. My first one was Nov. 8, 2021. The headlines included wins from the Teddy Bridgewater-led Broncos and the Baker Mayfield-led Browns and a game-sealing touchdown from Adrian Peterson for the Titans. Yeah, a lot has changed.

I cannot adequately express to you how much it means that you've read along. I hope that I've kept you informed, made you think and maybe even made you laugh.

I'm not going far. In fact, I'm not going anywhere. I'm still with CBS Sports, and I'll be transitioning to covering the NFL, among other sports. I'm super, super pumped to be focusing a bit more on one sport and bringing you guys the stories that make us love the game.

And this newsletter isn't going anywhere either. I just won't be writing it; some of my wonderfully talented colleagues will. I'm excited to watch them make it their own. You should be, too.

But enough about me, because we have a stunning trade to discuss and huge games to preview.

So, for one last time, let's get right to it.

🏈 Good morning to all but especially to ...

MICAH PARSONS AND THE GREEN BAY PACKERS

It's one of the biggest and most shocking trades in NFL history. Perhaps the only thing more shocking is how one-sided it is. The Packers acquired superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Cowboys in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

As part of the deal, Parsons got a four-year, $188 million extension, the largest deal ($47 million annually) for a non-quarterback in NFL history.

I don't need to tell you how good Parsons is, but consider this: The list of players to have 12+ sacks in each of their first four NFL seasons is Micah Parsons and Reggie White. Yeah, pretty good company. Parsons is 26 years old and on a Hall-of-Fame trajectory. He's finished top-three in Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his three fully healthy seasons.

Simply put, this kind of player basically never becomes available. But this one did, and Green Bay has acquired a transformative player, I wrote.

Pereles: "Despite missing four games last year, Parsons finished with 12 sacks. The last Packers player to reach that number was Za'Darius Smith ... in 2020. Parsons also posted a 17.7% pressure rate in 2024; the best Packers edge player last year was Rashan Gary at 11.9%. ... This is the perfect move for Green Bay, a team in the perfect position to make it. The Packers have immense talent at every spot on offense, and they have accrued some good players on defense. They just did not have that superstar, elite-level game wrecker."

Parsons is incredible. He'll move all over, he'll help cover up Green Bay's biggest weakness (its cornerbacks) by getting quick pressures, and he'll open up one-on-one opportunities for other talented pass rushers. The Packers are now tied for the fifth-shortest odds to win the Super Bowl as well as the NFC North favorites, and that movement is warranted.

Let's not forget that Parsons is a huge winner here, too. He requested a trade at the beginning of the month, and he got one. He received a monster contract, and he escaped an organization he clearly no longer trusted. Good for him.

😄 Honorable mentions

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift made their first public appearance since announcing their engagement, taking in Nebraska-Cincinnati. What a night of college football.
Can the Chiefs be explosive again?
Malik Nabers says his body will be ready for Week 1.
Jets DB Jermaine Johnson is excited to be back.
The NFL revealed Rivalries uniforms for the AFC East and NFC West.
Giancarlo Stanton is on a heater.
The Aces have won 12 straight. Are they title contenders?
The UEFA Champions League draw is here. We have winners and losers, teams that could surprise and top matchups.
Rick Barnes signed a lifetime contract with Tennessee.
As for Tennessee football, Tristan Keys flipped his commitment from LSU to the Volunteers.
Islam Makhachev vs. Jack Della Maddalena headlines UFC 322 at MSG.

🏈 And not such a good morning for ...

THE DALLAS COWBOYS

Jerry Jones can try and explain it away, and did he ever. His answer for why he traded Parsons took over 11 minutes.

But this is an atrocious decision. Indefensible, even. Garrett Podell, who has been covering the Cowboys since this drama began, says it's a move driven by Jones' ego, and the Cowboys got a D- in Jeff Kerr's trade grades.

Kerr: "Jones paid an over-30-year-old Dak Prescott over Micah Parsons, making Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL (and he still is). How does a record-setting deal like that not get done with Parsons, who hasn't even begun to sniff his prime yet? Parsons is the true difference maker on that side of the ball and one of the five best players in football. That's a player any franchise should never allow to leave the building, and the Cowboys did just that. This is why the Cowboys haven't been to a conference championship game in 30 years. This is why the Cowboys are all hype and no substance. This organization lives off VHS tapes of Super Bowl championships."

The reactions from not only former Cowboy greats like Dez Bryant and DeMarcus Ware but from executives, coaches and staffers around the league -- "This might be the worst trade ever!" one assistant coach told our Matt Zenitz -- only reinforces that.

It didn't have to end this way. All Jones had to do was negotiate like a normal GM. He has been unable to do that for years, though, and this time, it cost him dearly. And the payback could be coming soon. The Cowboys host the Packers in Week 4.

Here's more:

Parsons issued a statement.
Winners and losers
Sorry, Dallas fans: First Luka Dončić, now this.
What to know about Kenny Clark

😔 Not so honorable mentions

Bucs stars Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs will both miss the start of the season.
Dolphins RB Jaylen Wright (leg) will miss several weeks.
Frankie Montas (elbow) could miss all of 2026.
The Guardians released Carlos Santana.
It was a tough coaching debut for Michael Vick at Norfolk State.
Iowa WR Reece Vander Zee (foot) will miss one month.
Wisconsin QB Billy Edwards Jr. suffered a non-contact injury.
Life post-Ashton Jeanty is not off to a good start for Boise State. The No. 25 Broncos lost to South Florida, 34-7.

🏈 College football Week 1 preview, picks: Can Arch Manning, Texas win at Ohio State?

It's (nearly) here, and it's glorious. Tomorrow is the first full-on college football Saturday of the season, and it starts with an absolute doozy: No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State (preview), with both teams working in new quarterbacks in Arch Manning and Julian Sayin, respectively. Chris Hummer and Brad Crawford made their picks, and Chris is going with ...

Hummer: "Both teams are loaded. Ohio State probably gets the edge at receiver, tight end and in the secondary. Texas will have the better front seven play. Quarterback and the offensive lines? We'll see. Both teams are majorly resetting those units, and whichever team wins in those areas probably takes this game. Frankly, this is a coin toss. But I have a hard time picking against Ohio State at home. … Ohio State 24, Texas 21"

Speaking of that home, I loved Bryan DeArdo's investigation into whether "The Shoe" is loud ... or just large.

Saturday evening, No. 9 LSU visits No. 4 Clemson (preview). Both teams are Tigers. Both teams call their home Death Valley. Quarterbacks Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik are viewed as the top two QB prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. John Talty likes ...

Talty: "Clemson moneyline -- There's a lot to like about both teams and LSU won the offseason, but I lean Clemson with more returning experience and the home atmosphere advantage. This is the most talented Clemson team we've seen since the ones that knocked off Alabama for national titles ... Klubnik and the Clemson 1-2 punch of Peter Woods and T.J. Parker prove to be too much for an LSU team that will need some game experience to fully mesh its new piece and hit its ceiling."

Here's more:

We have features on LaNorris Sellers (here), Sawyer Robertson (here) and Fran Brown (here).
College football being back means Tom Fornelli's Six Pack is back.
Week 1 is filled with games with CFP implications.
Kalen DeBoer and Hugh Freeze are under pressure to win big.
Transfer quarterbacks are everywhere.
A key LSU defender will miss the first half against Clemson.
Here's Ryan Wilson's 2026 NFL Draft preseason big board.

⚾ Kyle Schwarber ties MLB record with four-HR game

Kyle Schwarber hitting a home run is a thing of understated beauty: a violent uppercut, a quick recoil, a brief, emotionless examination of how far his latest blast is going and a nonchalant jog around the bases.

But it's impossible to understate what Schwarber did Thursday night. The Phillies slugger belted four homers, tying the MLB record for most in a game, in a 19-4 win over the Braves.

It's just the 21st game of four home runs.
It's the first time a Phillies player has had a four home runs since Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt did so in 1976.
Schwarber is up to 49 home runs on the season, one shy of Cal Raleigh's MLB lead.

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🎾 US Open, 11 a.m. on ESPN
⚾ Brewers at Blue Jays or Pirates at Red Sox, 7:07 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Auburn at Baylor, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Georgia Tech at Colorado, 8 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Rangers at Athletics or Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 10:05 p.m. on MLB Network

Saturday

🎾 US Open, 11 a.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, noon on Fox
🏈 Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee, noon on ABC
🏉 Women's Rugby World Cup: USA vs. Australia, 2:30 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 Nevada at No. 2 Penn State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 8 Alabama at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Marlins at Mets or Pirates at Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Lynx at Sun, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Orioles at Giants or Mariners at Guardians or Tigers at Royals, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Liberty at Mercury, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Rangers at Athletics, 10:05 p.m. on MLB Network

Sunday

🎾 US Open, 11 a.m. on ESPN
🏆 Germany Sail Grand Prix, 1 p.m. on CBS (Here's a preview.)
⚾ Pirates at Red Sox or Brewers at Blue Jays, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina, 3 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Chicago Stars at Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. on CBS
⚾ Braves at Blue Jays, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Fever at Valkyries, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV

Monday

🎾 US Open, 11 a.m. on ESPN
⚾ Mets at Tigers, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Phillies at Brewers, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 TCU at North Carolina, 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Wings at Lynx, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
⚾ Rangers at Diamondbacks, 8:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Bay at Angel City, 9 p.m. on CBSSN
🏀 Sparks at Storm, 10 p.m. on NBA TV