Some things are just meant to be. Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers is among them. It just feels right. He is the pass-rusher this defense cried out for last season, the difference-maker who can lift this historic franchise back to the top after a 15-year championship drought.
But it almost didn't happen.
Jerry Jones deserves a thank you for his bizarre decision to send a defensive star with Hall-of-Fame aspirations to Green Bay, but we can also add the Carolina Panthers to our Christmas card list. They, too, provided a big-time botch that paved the way for Parsons to wear green and gold.
Panthers almost stole Micah Parsons away from the Packers
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN dropped a fascinating nugget about the Panthers' interest in trading for Parsons.
Per Fowler, the Panthers didn't submit a formal offer to the Cowboys but "were in talks." They stopped short of making an offer because they didn't want to include defensive tackle Derrick Brown in the deal.
"Carolina did look into it and Dallas would've had reason to look into that because Derrick Brown," Fowler said. "So that made some sense, but Carolina ultimately didn't want to move Brown and didn't move on that."
The Cowboys would've undoubtedly preferred to make a deal with the Panthers, a team far less likely to make Jerry Jones regret his decision. While Carolina could improve in Bryce Young's third season, the Packers' move for Parsons launches them into the Super Bowl stratosphere, while Parsons is only three weeks away from taking revenge on his former team.
It may have been a different ballgame had the Panthers been willing to part ways with Brown, their 27-year-old Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Brown is talented, no doubt, but the opportunity to trade for a Hall-of-Fame pass-rusher doesn't come around often. The Packers understood that.
Their loss is Green Bay's gain. The Packers accepted the Cowboys' wish for two first-round picks and for Pro Bowler Kenny Clark to head to Dallas.
Parsons to the Panthers? It just doesn't scream blockbuster with trade-of-the-century vibes. Would he have turned Carolina into a serious contender? It's doubtful. Not yet, at least.
The Packers weren't going to miss out on this opportunity, but they needed some good fortune. Thankfully, other teams like the Panthers took a backseat.
A little luck goes a long way. Where would the Packers be without Jared Cook's toe-tapping catch? Or without Julius Peppers saving a would-be DeMarco Murray touchdown to keep them in the game? And for Dez Bryant to then drop (definitely a drop) a potential game-winner?
Where would the Packers be if the Panthers had offered Derrick Brown in a trade? They likely wouldn't have Parsons donning the historic No. 1 jersey and preparing to make Jared Goff's life miserable.
Maybe we should've known. Just like the Cook stunner, the Peppers forced fumble, and the Bryant non-catch — heck, we can even include Matt Flynn's miracle comeback and Jordan Love's playoff domination — Green Bay getting one over on Dallas is inevitable.
And thanks to some help from the Panthers, it happened again. Some things are just meant to be.