Paul Bretl | 8/28/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — As the old saying goes, where there is smoke, there is fire, and that turned out to be the case around all of the Micah Parsons to Green Bay buzz.
Along with joining the Packers, the two-time All-Pro pass rusher and linebacker will now be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL, earning $47 million per year. In total, Parsons will be signing a four-year contract worth $188 million, including $136 million guaranteed.
In return, the Packers are trading away two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
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It was just one day ago that GM Brian Gutekunst said he was not a huge believer in a team ever being just one player away from being a true Super Bowl contender. Certainly, in part, there was GM-speak taking place there, and it’s also something we’ve heard Gutrekunst say before.
I would bet, in most instances, that sentiment is true. However, Parsons isn’t just any player. He’s one of the most dominant defenders in the game and still has his prime years ahead of him at just 26 years old.
“I think every opportunity that’s out there to help your football team, we’ve always taken a look at try to see how it affects us right now, how does it affect us in the future and make the best decision we can,” Gutekunst said on Wednesday.
“Sometimes we’ve been right, sometimes we’re wrong. Sometimes we’ve taken risks that really worked out for us. Sometimes it didn’t. Sometimes we didn’t take risks, and we look back and wish we would have. Sometimes, as Ted used to say, God helps those that can’t help themselves a little bit sometimes. So sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don’t. And so you weigh everything and you weigh what is in the moment and what is in the future, as well.”
Parsons isn’t only a game-changer and a field tilter–he is a force-multiplier. Beyond his own impact on the stat sheet and throughout a game, his presence makes everyone around him better.
With Parsons lining up off the edge, he will garner plenty of attention. This can then create favorable matchups for other defensive linemen as well as the linebackers to exploit.
The pressure he generates helps the secondary as well. Putting the quarterback under duress can mean less time in coverage and can lead to rushed and errant throws. And on those plays, when the pressures become sacks, the offense is then behind the sticks, which gives the defense the upper hand.
During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Parsons recorded 106 pressures in each of those seasons with a combined 27.5 sacks. For some context around that 100 sack figure, in 2024, Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, and Devonte Wyatt–the Packers’ top three pressure-getters–combined for 115 pressures, according to PFF.
Last season, while appearing in just 13 games, Parsons still recorded 70 pressures, good for the seventh-most in the NFL.
Gutekunst said himself earlier this offseason that the Green Bay pass rush last season was “inconsistent” and an area that had to improve if the Packers were going to accomplish their goals.
Collectively, this was a defensive front in 2024 that ranked 26th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric, often feasting on lesser opponents while going quiet against the NFC’s best.
Along with Parsons’ impact as a pass rusher, he provides Jeff Hafley with the flexibility to move him around. Over his first four NFL seasons, Parsons has played 813 snaps at the standup linebacker position.
So again, we circle back to Parsons’ impact going beyond the stat sheet–the different looks that Hafley can throw at opponents, and the variety of looks that opponents have to be prepared for has now increased. That, of course, benefits Parsons, but also the entire defense.
The theme of this offseason for the Packers was urgency. It was a word that Gutekunst mentioned during the season-ending press conference after the Packers lost in the playoffs to Philadelphia.
At the time, Gutekunst used that word to describe what he wanted to see from his team and making sure that each opportunity was being maximized because they can be fleeting. He also said that it was time to start competing for championships.
Back in January, I don’t know that Gutekunst would have had this on his radar, but his actions on Thursday have backed those statements up. The chips are now in the middle of the table as the Packers thrust themselves into the Super Bowl conversation by landing Parsons.