By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer
The shocking decision by the Dallas Cowboys to trade Micah Parsons to Green Bay after four dominant seasons as a pass rusher is far from unprecedented.
A very similar trade happened on the eve of the 2018 season when the Oakland Raiders shipped two-time All-Pro and one-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Khalil Mack to Chicago.
Both trades happened after failed contract talks and featured two first-round picks in return, although Dallas also got defensive tackle Kenny Clark from the Packers.
That 2018 trade didn’t ultimately work out for either team. Mack was highly productive in Chicago, earning All-Pro honors his first year, but couldn’t do enough to help the Bears win a playoff game in his four seasons before being traded to the Chargers.
The Raiders used the first pick on running back Josh Jacobs, who was very productive before leaving as a free agent following the 2023 season. The second first-rounder was wasted on cornerback Damon Arnette, who was cut halfway through his second season.
Here’s a look at some other NFL stars who were traded in their primes:
Herschel Walker
The most famous trade in Dallas history came in Jerry Jones’ first season as owner in 1989 when the Cowboys dealt Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a package that ultimately led to eight draft picks, including three first rounders. Dallas used those picks to help draft Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and key contributors to three Super Bowl wins like Darren Woodson, Kevin Smith and Russell Maryland.
The Vikings didn’t win a playoff game in two-plus seasons with Walker.
Charles Haley
Jones has another famous deal that helped fuel Dallas’ 1990s dynasty when he acquired pass rusher from San Francisco for second- and third-round picks in 1992. Haley was the final piece on defense the Cowboys needed to win three Super Bowls in his first four seasons, eliminating the 49ers in the NFC title game on the way to the first two titles.
Randy Moss
Moss was a three-time All-Pro and the most dominant deep threat in the league when Minnesota traded him to Oakland in 2005 for a package that included the No. 7 overall pick in the draft. The deal helped neither team as the Vikings used the pick on Troy Williamson, who caught 79 passes in three seasons, and the Raiders won six games in two seasons.
Moss was then traded again in 2007 to New England and set an NFL record with 23 TD catches his first season as the Patriots became the only team to go 16-0 in the regular season.
Fran Tarkenton
Six years after being traded by Minnesota to the New York Giants, Tarkenton returned to the Vikings in 1972 after making four Pro Bowls in six seasons in New York. Tarkenton led Minnesota to the Super Bowl three times in seven seasons in his second stint — losing every time — and was the NFL MVP in 1975.
Eric Dickerson
The disgruntled Dickerson was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to Indianapolis in 1987 in a blockbuster deal that also sent Cornelius Bennett to Buffalo. Dickerson helped the Colts make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years in his first season and then led the NFL in rushing in 1988.
Marshall Faulk
Faulk led the NFL with 2,227 yards from scrimmage in 1998 when Indianapolis made the surprising decision to deal him to St. Louis. The Colts went on to draft Hall of Famer Edgerrin James in the first round as Faulk’s replacement but the Rams really won the deal.
Faulk helped form the “Greatest Show on Turf” offense as St. Louis won the Super Bowl his first season. Faulk had nearly 1,500 more yards from scrimmage and 18 more TDs than any other player from 1999-2001 as he won AP Offensive Player of the Year all three seasons and MVP in 2000.
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey helped transform San Francisco’s offense when he was acquired from Carolina during the 2022 season for a package of four picks. McCaffrey gained 3,233 yards and scored 31 TDs in his first 27 regular season games for the Niners before being hampered by injuries last season.
He won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 when he helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl.
Fred Dean
Dean was coming off an All-Pro season in 1980 when he was traded the following year to San Francisco for a package that included a first-round pick. His addition helped fuel the start of the 49ers dynasty. He was an All-Pro in 1981 when San Francisco won its first of five titles in a 14 season span and had a 17 1/2-sack season in 1983 before ending up in the Hall of Fame.
Darrelle Revis
Revis was the NFL’s top shut-down cornerback when he was traded to Tampa Bay for a package that included a first-round pick before the 2013 season. The Jets turned that pick into Sheldon Richardson and Revis spent only one season with the Bucs, before being cut. He then went to New England as a free agent where he won a Super Bowl.
Champ Bailey
In one of the biggest star for star trades, Denver acquired Bailey from Washington for star running back Clinton Portis. Portis had four 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Washington but the Broncos were the biggest winner.
Bailey played 10 more seasons, earning All-Pro honors his first three seasons, leading the league with 10 interceptions in 2006 and getting into the Hall of Fame.
Paul Warfield
Warfield had made back-to-back Pro Bowls for Cleveland when Don Shula acquired him in his first season as Miami’s head coach. Warfield provided a needed deep threat for the Dolphins, making the Pro Bowl in five straight seasons. Warfield was an All-Pro twice and helped Miami win back-to-back Super Bowls, including the perfect 17-0 season in 1972.
Mike Haynes
Haynes was holding out in New England in 1983 when the Raiders acquired him for a first and second round pick during the season. Haynes made an immediate impact by elevating the Raiders defense as he teamed with Lester Hayes in the secondary. Los Angeles won the Super Bowl later that season and Haynes was named All-Pro the next two years.
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