![Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons (11) celebrated his tackle on Vikings fullback C.J. Ham (30) in the third quarter, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minn. The Minnesota Vikings hosted the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. ] ELIZABETH FLORES • liz.flores@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/XGG6O5DBO36EYU7RCCQIKHLIUY.jpg?&w=1080)
My most active group chat contains six people, all of whom have gone on many versions of a yearly road trip to see baseball games and other sporting events.
The crew leans heavily toward Minnesota sports, but one of the six is a Wisconsin native and therefore a Packers fan. We try to be supportive of his life choices and understand that sometimes you are just born into circumstances beyond your control.
In the chat Thursday, not long after it was announced that the Packers had made a big swing and traded for Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons, he perhaps got out in front of any heat coming his way by writing, “If Micah Parsons loses his shoe while running a recovered fumble back for a touchdown in his first game, I’m going to be worried.”
It was perfect, of course, in that it required the knowledge that Herschel Walker, in his first game after a blockbuster trade from the Cowboys to the Vikings in 1989 (against my friend’s beloved Packers, no less), scampered 47 yards on a play in which he lost his shoe.
That game unfortunately turned out to be the high water mark in the Walker era with the Vikings. The trade that sent a million players and draft picks to Dallas, laying the foundation for three Super Bowl wins for the Cowboys in the 1990s, is now considered one of the most lopsided in history.
Did Green Bay just make its version of the Walker trade, dealing two first-round picks and game-wrecking run-stuffer Kenny Clark to Dallas while giving Parsons the biggest non-QB contract in history?
I talked about that on Friday’s Daily Delivery podcast and will dive into a few more things in today’s 10 things to know:
- The short answer to the Walker trade question is probably not, though Packers fans are probably not soothed by Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones invoking the Walker trade in talking about the Parsons deal.
- The Vikings traded three first-round picks and three second-round picks to get Walker (among other things), which is still painful to type.
- This isn’t that. But ... my first reaction upon seeing the trade was that the Packers gave up a ton to get Parsons. Clark leaves a ton of dead money on the Packers’ cap, has tormented the Vikings for years and should still be a productive player at age 29. The Packers now don’t have a first-round pick until 2028. And Parsons’ $188 million deal over four years ($136 million guaranteed) is massive.
- It’s somewhere between the Walker trade and what the Vikings gave up to get Jared Allen in 2008 from Kansas City (three draft picks, including a first-rounder, and a big new contract for Allen).
- Allen is a Hall of Famer. He almost helped the Vikings reach the Super Bowl after the 2009 season. I don’t know if it’s Super Bowl or bust to judge success with the Parsons trade. But the Walker trade tells us we will know more easily if it was a failure.
- I was really impressed with Gophers QB Drake Lindsey in his starting debut during Thursday’s 23-10 win over Buffalo. Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins wrote more about the big night.
- Stunning score from Thursday, Part I: St. Thomas football beat Lindenwood 35-13 one year after losing 64-0 to the same school.
- Stunning score from Thursday, Part II: The Lynx had an uncharacteristic letdown Thursday in a loss to Seattle, a team they could face in the playoffs.
- Strib Varsity is off to a rocking start, including Thursday’s live football show with Randy Shaver. Joe Christensen was my guest on Friday’s podcast talking about his Moorhead athletics story.
- No podcast Monday, but I’ll be back Tuesday with Patrick Reusse. Enjoy the long weekend!
