Your Weekly Packers News Update
We’ve sorted through dozens of articles about the Packers’ latest news, game results, rosters, rumors and other info that’s important to the team and to you. Check it out!
By: THE FORKBALL
Wilson Ekele
Micah Parsons Embraces Fresh Start with Packers After Blockbuster Trade
Micah Parsons admits the last four months tested him like no other point in his career. A tense contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys left him uncertain about his future, even as the regular season crept closer. On Thursday, his frustration reached a peak.
“I told [my agent] that day, I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I need you to get something done soon,’” Parsons said. “I haven’t not played football this long since I was in seventh grade.”
By the end of the day, his future shifted dramatically. The Green Bay Packers acquired Parsons in a blockbuster trade, sending Dallas two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Hours later, Parsons signed a four-year, $188 million extension that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees — making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
New Home, New Number
Parsons landed in Green Bay on Friday, passed his physical, and signed his contract. He chose No. 1 for his jersey, becoming the first Packers player to wear the number since franchise co-founder Curly Lambeau in 1925–26.
Walking through the team facility, Parsons said he felt the weight of history.
“I looked on that wall and I saw Brett Favre, I saw Reggie [White], I saw all those legends, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to be there,’” Parsons said.
At 26, Parsons has already built an elite résumé with 52.5 career sacks, including at least 12 in each of his four seasons. The Packers see him as their most dominant pass rusher since White, and Parsons has embraced the comparisons.
“I just looked at him like somebody who won,” Parsons said of White. I think I can do anything I put my mind to.”
Packers Break Precedent
The trade marked the first time since 1992 — when they acquired quarterback Brett Favre — that Green Bay dealt a first-round pick for a veteran player. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst admitted he initially thought the chances were slim.
“The chances of these things happening are pretty slim,” Gutekunst said. “That was my mindset the whole time, keep the conversations going because of the uniqueness of the player. But I don’t think it was until the last few days that I actually thought, ‘Hey, there’s an opportunity here to close this thing out.’”
The move echoes another blockbuster edge-rusher deal: the Oakland Raiders trading Khalil Mack to Chicago just before the 2018 season. Back then, the Packers were late to the chase. This time, Gutekunst was determined to stay aggressive from the start.
Filling a Void, Facing Expectations
Green Bay parted ways with Clark and also lost defensive tackle TJ Slaton to the Bengals in free agency, leaving their defensive front thin. On top of that, Parsons’ mega-deal joins quarterback Jordan Love’s four-year, $220 million contract, which could tighten the Packers’ salary cap flexibility in the future.
“There’s no doubt when you acquire a player like this, who’s going to take up that much of the cap, you’re going to have to make some choices,” Gutekunst said. “You always do.”
Parsons said he understands the expectations that come with the price paid for him.
“I’d be a fool to not think there isn’t pressure in the position I’m stepping into,” Parsons said. “But then again, that’s a blessing in itself. That means they believed in me that much.”
Ready for Week 1
Though back tightness led to a training camp hold-in in Dallas, Parsons insisted he feels healthy and intends to play in the Packers’ Sept. 7 opener against the Detroit Lions.
“I think physically, I’m great,” Parsons said. “They didn’t give up what they gave up for me to sit on the sidelines.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Parsons’ presence elevates the defense immediately.
“I just know from having to game plan against him, that is something that keeps you up at night,” LaFleur said.
For Parsons, the move also feels like a full-circle moment. As a kid in Pennsylvania, he played running back for a youth team called the Harrisburg Packers. Now, he’s ready to carve out a legacy with the real thing.
“Y’all don’t understand how excited I am to be here,” Parsons said. “I hope they understand the type of player that’s going to come into this building every day to get better. I just want to sustain the standard that’s been set here.”
The Packers last reached the Super Bowl in the 2010 season, but with Parsons joining one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, their odds have already shifted. ESPN BET boosted Green Bay’s Super Bowl odds from +2000 to +1400 following the trade.
“I feel like that’s always the expectation around here,” LaFleur said. “It just comes with being a Green Bay Packer.”
