• The Dallas Cowboys have traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
• Dallas is receiving DT Kenny Clark and two first-round picks from Green Bay.
• Parsons will receive a four-year, $188 million deal from the Packers.

The Micah Parsons saga has reached an endpoint that might have seemed unfathomable just weeks ago.

On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to trade the two-time All-Pro edge rusher to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons, meanwhile, will receive a four-year, $188 million contract that, in addition to making him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing.

A massive exchange of resources figures to transform the NFC landscape immediately, with the Packers making an all-out move to reconfigure a flagging pass rush and a Cowboys team that has stubbornly resisted a rebuild now on uncertain ground. But who won the deal?

Let’s hand out grades for maybe the most consequential move of the NFL offseason:

Packers trade grade: A-

Typically, dealing away premium draft picks for highly paid veterans is bad business for NFL teams. Between the selections involved and the massive bill that will accompany Parsons to Wisconsin, the Packers are paying a price that would be prohibitive for almost any player in the league.

Except, of course, Parsons.

When it comes to one of the game’s most important tasks in rushing the passer, the three-time finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year is very nearly in a class all his own. Of course, he has never won the award that peers T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa all have claimed. But Parsons only turned 26 in May, and he’s the only player beyond late legendary pass rusher Reggie White to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons.

For that, it’s understandable why a Packers organization known for focusing on home-grown talent would take such a massive swing.

Jeff Hafley reinvigorated Green Bay’s defense in his first year at the helm, with his aggressive scheme generating big plays and helping the unit rank fifth in yards allowed and sixth in scoring. But with a pass rush win rate that ranked 26th in the NFL, the coordinator seemed to be staring at a ceiling. Parsons should be a force multiplier for Rashan Gary, who could feast in a complementary role, and the rest of the front that Hafley can count on to bring the heat.

Very few teams are actually one player away from Super Bowl contender status. But Parsons is the rare talent who might put the Packers over the top – or at least keep them at the front of a hypercompetitive first tier of NFC teams. And with an abundance of young talent, Green Bay could afford to take bold action.

Cowboys trade grade: D+

Well … that’s it?

The NFL offseason landscape was largely defined by cooler heads prevailing in heated negotiations, from Myles Garrett’s resolution with the Cleveland Browns to Terry McLaurin landing the long-term contract he sought from the Washington Commanders. Even perhaps the most acrimonious standoff of the summer was at least temporarily defused when Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals found a path forward for 2025.

Yet somehow Jerry Jones couldn’t manage to de-escalate the bargaining nightmare of his own creation.

The self-inflicted nature of this clash is the most damning aspect for Dallas. In his departure, Parsons said, ‘I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control. … Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.’

While contentious contract talks between stars and teams are nothing new, the Cowboys – in typical and unfortunate Jones fashion – took things to another level by repeatedly airing out grievances, particularly regarding agent David Mulugheta’s role in the talks. That didn’t sit well with Parsons, who on Aug. 1 cited ‘repeated shots’ as part of the reason he no longer wished to play for the team.

Parsons receiving his wish, however, seemed far-fetched until Thursday, when reports indicated the Cowboys were finally listening for deals. With their star pass rusher gone, what are the Cowboys for 2025 and beyond?

Jones has furiously resisted any notion of a rebuild, unwilling to give off the appearance that his team isn’t clawing its way to end a Super Bowl drought now standing at 30 years. Dallas already appeared to be wading in a sort of no-man’s land for Brian Schottenheimer’s debut season. Now, it’s firmly stuck there.

With Dak Prescott still claiming the title of the NFL’s highest-paid player thanks to a four-year, $240 million contract extension reached just last year, the Cowboys can’t blow things up. Jones, of course, would never accept that outcome. The acquisition of Clark would seem to reinforce the stubbornness from up top. Sure, there’s been a sizable void at nose tackle for some time. But how does inserting a player who will turn 30 in October move the needle for a defense that now has a massive hole on the edge? Good luck to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who has never been known as a heavy blitzer but will have to concoct some innovative ways to generate pressure with what now looks to be a pretty suspect group.

The two first-round picks are nothing to sneeze at, but barring an injury to Jordan Love, the Packers likely are only turning over choices in the mid-20s. If Jones expects this trade to reboot his franchise, he’s very likely overconfident in his own personnel preferences.

Jones has pushed back on many of the emerging narratives about his priorities. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell, he discussed the franchise’s astronomical value and popularity by saying, ‘I explain it by hard work. I bust my ass. This exact same hard work that is going on in the football. I work my ass off.’

Maybe it’s not Jones’ effort that’s worth questioning. In this case – and many others – though, he’s hustling backward.

NEW YORK – The problems with Coco Gauff’s serve have been well-documented, with one of the most basic maneuvers in tennis costing the two-time Grand Slam champion matches.

But Gauff, who at times was emotional, persevered once again on Thursday night, in front of a packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She can put those concerns away for at least one more day, advancing with an error-filled 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 second-round victory over unseeded Donna Vekic of Croatia.

Gauff moves on to play in the third round against Poland’s Magdalena Fręch.

Gauff, the No. 3 seed and 2023 US Open champion, had eight double faults and 18 unforced errors, and managed to convert 67% of her first serves in play.

Gauff got off to a rocky start and was broken on opening serve, which ended in a double fault. She found herself down two games before battling back, breaking Vekic, who had her own issues with her serve, double-faulting three times in the third game alone.

Vekic, a 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist, had 10 double faults and 35 unforced errors (mostly balls hit into the net), and received treatment on her right arm from the medical staff. She wasted an opportunity serving for the first set when she was immediately broken, sending the set to a tiebreak, where Gauff’s fewer mistakes were the difference.

Gauff knows she hasn’t played her best during the first two rounds and needed nearly three hours to beat her first-round opponent, Australian Ajla Tomljanović 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, double-faulting 10 times during that match.

Coco Gauff vs. Donna Vekic result, highlights

Gauff defeated Vekic 7-6 (7-5), 6-2

Gauff takes first set in tiebreak

After receiving treatment on her arm, Vekic served for the first set but was immediately broken, sending the first set to a tiebreak. Neither player got command during the tiebreak, going back and forth with mostly unforced errors, before Gauff settled the issue with a forehand winner and an error by Vekic to take the set 7-6 (5).

Vekic gets medical treatment

Vekic is receiving treatment on her right arm from the medical staff and is set to serve for the first set, which has been poorly played with dozens of unforced errors and double faults.

Vekic struggling with her serve

Vekic has already double-faulted six times in the first set, including three times in the third game. Gauff failed to take advantage at times and after taking four games in a row after being down 0-2, Vekic has rallied to even up the match.

Gauff down early

Gauff’s serve betrayed her to start the match as she was broken, double-faulting to give Vekic the first game. She was blitzed in the second game and will have to dig out of a hole to get back in the match.

Coco Gauff and Donna Vekic enter stadium court

Expecting a packed house at Arthur Ashe Stadium as Gauff is introduced to loud applause. Gauff’s serve has been the subject of her game lately, so it will be interesting if she can get off to a good start tonight. Vekic, a 29-year-old from Croatia, is ranked No. 49 in the world and is expected to play aggressively from the start.

What time is Coco Gauff vs. Donna Vekic?

Coco Gauff will face off against Donna Vekic in the second-round of the 2025 US Open on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Watch Coco Gauff at the US Open on Fubo

How to watch Coco Gauff vs. Donna Vekic: US Open TV channel, stream

• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (New York)
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo

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The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers reached an agreement on a blockbuster trade Thursday involving Micah Parsons.

The Cowboys will send Parsons, a 26-year-old star pass rusher who recorded 52.5 sacks during his four seasons in Dallas, to the Packers. In return, Dallas will receive two future draft picks along with veteran defensive lineman Kenny Clark.

However, just moments before the deal was announced Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer Michael Irvin was on live television publicly declaring that no trade involving Parsons would take place.

‘I guarantee Micah Parsons is not going anywhere,’ Irvin declared.

The NFL on ESPN’s X post about Irvin’s comments was made at 4:59 p.m. ET. Ian Rapoport reported the trade just one minute later, at 5:00 p.m. In less than a minute, Irvin’s confident ‘guarantee’ became one of the coldest takes in history.

In Irvin’s defense, ESPN’s post on X may have been one minute before the trade was first reported, but the ‘NFL Live’ segment could have been aired earlier. And many expected Parsons to agree to an extension, rather than being shipped out of Dallas.

Parsons was seeking a new contract and got one with the Packers, agreeing to a four-year, $188 million extension deal with Green Bay, including $136 million guaranteed, making him the new highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Either way, Irvin’s bold statement became a viral moment in the latest Earth-shattering moment across the NFL.

The 2025 US Open is fully underway and emotions are running high at the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year, as evidenced by a heated exchange between Taylor Townsend and Jelena Ostapenko.

Townsend defeated Ostapenko, 7-5, 6-1, in their second-round match Wednesday evening on Court 11 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Townsend of the U.S. and Ostapenko of Latvia approached the net for a customary post-match handshake and a verbal confrontation ensued. Both players went back and forth as Ostapenko waved her finger at Townsend. Townsend eventually ended up walking away from Ostapenko. The American threw her racket down in celebration and prompted the crowd to cheer by holding her hand to her ear.

‘People get upset when they lose and some people say bad things,’ Townsend said following the match. “(Ostapenko) told me I have no class, no education and to see what happens when we get outside the U.S.’

Here’s what we know about the exchange:

What caused US Open confrontation between Taylor Townsend, Jelena Ostapenko?

Ostapenko revealed on her Instagram Story that the confrontation stemmed from Townsend’s lack of apology for ‘a net ball’ during their match. (It is a common courtesy for players to acknowledge if they win a point after the ball clips the net, although not mandatory.) Ostapenko also took issue with Townsend’s warmup routine.

‘After the match I told my opponent that she was very disrespectful as she had a net ball in a very deciding moment and didn’t say sorry, but her answer was that she doesn’t have to say sorry at all,’ Ostapenko wrote. ‘There are some rules in tennis which most of the players follow and it was first time ever that this happened to me on tour. If she plays in her homeland it doesn’t mean that she can behave and do whatever she wants.’

Jelena Ostapenko: ‘I was NEVER racist in my life’

‘I respect all nations of people in the world, for me it doesn’t matter where you come from. There are some rules in tennis and unfortunately when the crowd is with you, you can’t use it in disrespectful way to your opponent,’ Ostapenko wrote. ‘Unfortunately for me coming from such a small country, I don’t have that huge support and a chance to play in homeland. I always loved to play in the US and US OPEN, but this is the first time someone is approaching the match this disrespectful way.’

Taylor Townsend: There’s ‘no beef on my side’

Ostapenko opened Wednesday’s match with a 5-3 lead in the first set — “When she was playing well, I didn’t say anything. That just shows class,’ said Townsend — before the American won nine consecutive games. Ostapenko got on the board in the second set at 5-1, but it was too little, too late for the Latvian.

‘I turned it up another level and that’s what I’m most proud of today,’ said Townsend, who later added in her press conference: ‘(Ostapenko) was just playing really well. Then when the tables turned, it all of a sudden became an issue. So I chalked it up to competition. I chalk it up to being upset and, you know, she pulled out all the stops to try and break the momentum. Sometimes people do that, but it is what it is.’

Despite the confrontation, Townsend said there’s ‘no beef’ with Ostapenko on her end.

‘No, there’s never been any history. I don’t know how she feels about me, but there’s no beef on my side,’ Townsend said during her press conference. ‘I didn’t back down because you’re not going to insult me, especially after I carried myself a certain type of way with nothing but respect. If I show respect to you, I expect respect as well. That’s just the fact of the matter.’

Taylor Townsend, Jelena Ostapenko head-to-head matchup

Townsend, who was recently ranked the No. 1 overall player in doubles, is never one to back down from competition and said she’s ‘looking forward to’ playing Ostapenko again in the future. ‘I beat her in Canada outside the U.S. I beat her in New York inside the U.S. So, let’s see what else she has to say,’ she added.

Wednesday’s match marked the third overall meeting between Townsend and Ostapenko. Townsend leads the head-to-head 2-1. In addition to Wednesday’s US Open win, Townsend defeated Ostapenko, 6-2, 6-1, at the 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto. Ostapenko took their first matchup, beating Townsend, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2018 US Open in New York.

Townsend will face No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva in the third round of the US Open. Her best finish in the tournament was the 2019 US Open, when she advanced to the fourth round.

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AI-assisted summary
• Dak Prescott enters his 10th season as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, nearing franchise records for touchdowns and passing yards.
• Despite individual achievements, Prescott’s focus remains on winning a Super Bowl, ending the Cowboys’ 30-year drought.
• Prescott’s leadership and talent are unquestioned, but his playoff performance remains under scrutiny.

Sift through the Dallas Cowboys’ top storylines leading up to Week 1, and there isn’t much mention of quarterback Dak Prescott.

The contract negotiation stalemate between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons, and the Cowboys’ Netflix documentary “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” have dominated the news cycle surrounding the NFL’s most popular franchise.

A stark contrast from a year ago when Prescott was embroiled in contract extension negotiations. Now Prescott is entering Year 10 and currently holds the title of highest-paid player in the NFL (in terms of average annual salary).

It’s hard to believe Prescott is a few days away from beginning his 10^th season as the Cowboys starting QB. Prescott is 36 touchdown passes away from breaking the franchise record and with 2,747 passing yards this season he’ll become the team’s all-time passing leader.

“Yes, I’m aware of it,” Prescott answered this offseason when asked if he knows of the team records he’s approaching. “I didn’t know of the touchdowns necessarily. I knew the yards were coming upon. I don’t want to stop there. It would be awesome. It’s going to be cool, I should say, but that’s not the end goal. I plan to have many more seasons, touchdowns (and) yards.

“Something that I felt like I should be doing. It would be something that’s cool to have but not anything that weighs on me or that I’ll carry and be like, ‘Job well done on.’”

Prescott tossed a career-high and league-leading 36 touchdowns in 2023 and has six 3,000-yard passing seasons. He has a decent shot of breaking at least one of the franchise records if he remains healthy this season. The addition of George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb should only bolster his chances.  

“You see their ability to separate and contested balls and things like that,” Cowboys first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer said to reporters of Pickens and Lamb. “Those guys, you don’t have to do much to get them open…Those two guys, they just feed off each other. It shows you when you have one on one side and one on the other, it’s pretty daunting for a defense.”

But leading the league in passing yards and breaking franchise records isn’t what motivates the 32-year-old quarterback.

Prescott and the Cowboys watched their NFC East rival, Philadelphia Eagles, win Super Bowl 59. The Eagles have won two Super Bowls since Prescott became the Cowboys starter in 2016. Prescott’s won just two playoff games in that span.

“Having fun and winning a Super Bowl, period. That’s what I want. That’s what I want from this game, and I know that’s what everyone wants in this locker room. We have a head coach who I know is hungry for it,” Prescott said. “That’s what’s on my mind 10 (years) in and ready to play another 10 (years). I want that first and foremost now. That is the urgency that I carry with the love and the passion of this game, not only wanting to win for myself but wanting to win for this organization. It been damn long enough.”

Prescott’s 76 career regular-season wins are the fourth most by any QB in franchise history and he’s registered a 33-8 record against NFC East opponents. Yet he’s part of the Cowboys’ 30-year Super Bowl drought. He’s just 2-5 in the postseason.

“They are gonna criticize him because of the playoff performance, and rightfully so. I love Dak and I’m with him. I’ve been with him. Everybody knows how talented he is. Arm talent, he has everything. He’s real smart, he’s a leader. The leadership is unquestioned. He has his team ready to run through a wall for him,” Lamb said to reporters. “I know we are gonna have a good one this year, though, that’s for sure.”

What constitutes a good year for the Cowboys?

Not the individual records or the team’s constant presence in the news cycle. It’s dethroning the Eagles on the way to reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Something the Cowboys haven’t done in three decades.