Paul Bretl | 8/29/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers don’t trade away draft picks–let alone two first-round picks. Going beyond Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as general manager, it’s just not in the organization’s DNA.
However, to acquire Micah Parsons, the Packers traded away their next two first-round selections. They also parted ways with Kenny Clark, a stalwart in the middle of the Packers front for almost a decade and a player who, even with all his on-field accomplishments, is someone Matt LaFleur described as an even better person.
Parsons understands the gravity of this trade and the expectations that come with it, not only for him as he continues on his Hall of Fame trajectory, but for the Packers and the Super Bowl aspirations they have as a team.
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘The Paul Bretl Show’ for more Packers coverage.
“Yo, I’m not even gonna lie,” Parsons said in his introductory press conference, “there is a lot of expectations and I’d be a fool to not think there isn’t expectations or there isn’t pressure in the position that I’m stepping into. But then again, that’s a blessing in itself.
“That means that they believed in me that much to put that much — they believe I’m that much of a future in this organization and they showed that in every which way. So that just alone shows me the type of person I need to be in this building every day and I’m very determined.”
We can look at Parsons’ numbers throughout his career or watch any one of his games throughout his first four NFL seasons to see the caliber of player the Packers are getting.
In his first four NFL seasons, Parsons has been named to a Pro Bowl each year. He’s a three-time All-Pro, including a first-teamer twice. In addition to that, Parsons has the fifth most sacks in football since 2021, and he has two 100-plus quarterback pressure seasons.
But behind that production is an ultimate competitor. As LaFleur described, the first time he saw that competitiveness on display was during the 2021 Pro Bowl. At an event nowadays where players are often taking it easy, Parsons was going full-speed, seeing how he compared to the rest of the NFL’s best players.
Along with Parsons’ on-field production, that competitive drive, now paired with LaFleur and the Packers, can hopefully help him scratch that winning itch.
“Oh, man, winning is everything to me,” Parsons said. “I don’t think you’re going to find a more competitive person on a team or anywhere in the NFL when it comes to anything we do.”…”We could go run 40-yard sprints. I’ll go wait till you’re tired if you’re faster than me. I don’t think you’re going to find someone that’s more competitive.
“So when you talk about winning on this stage and what it takes, I haven’t been there, and I don’t know what it takes. But I’ve got a funny feeling that with a lot of this history, this program does. They went further than us, and obviously they had a big win against us. I trust Coach LaFleur. I really feel like we can do it. Like I said, I really want to win real bad.”
Parsons acknowledged that these last four months have been some of the hardest four months of his life. There was the uncertainty around what his future held, but he also missed the game that he loves playing and being on the field with his teammates.
With the season quickly approaching, Dallas opens Week 1 on Thursday night against Philadelphia, Parsons did have concerns that his stalemate with the Cowboys could extend into the regular season–a scenario he did not want to play out.
“Every opportunity is a grat opportunity,” Parsons said, but by not being able to practice, and work and grow with his teammates, there were opportunities being missed.
So when Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, was able to give him the news that he was being traded to Green Bay and receiving a new contract to go along with it, relief washed over Parsons. He was now able to get back to playing football and competing.
“Ya’ll don’t even understand how relieved I feel,” Parsons said of when he got the news. “I told Rasheed (Walker), I said bruh, just go ahead and get ready for your best practice week because I ain’t put my hands in somebody so long. I’m just so ready to get out there. Ya’ll don’t understand. It’s miserable. You missing the thing that you love. Because this is what it’s about.
“That’s like watching your big brother play X-box all day when you never get to touch it,” Parsons added of not being on the practice field. “You just gotta see it. That’s kind of how I felt. I got to watch everyone get better. Get faster. Learning the system. Do everything. But I couldn’t be out there and that kind of hurt me more than anything.”
On social media after the news had broken, Parsons released a hype video where he expressed his gratitude to the Cowboys and his excitement about joining the Packers.
Included in the video were some Reggie White clips. Parsons, a football junkie, as he called himself, referred to White as one of the GOATs, referencing the 80-plus sacks he had in his first five NFL seasons.
Not long after arriving in Green Bay, while Parsons was, of course, familiar with White, he learned a bit more about him, specifically that he was the first free agent signee to join the Packers and helped them win a Super Bowl, in addition to the Hall of Fame career he put together individually.
White’s impact on the Packers’ organization can’t be overstated. While Parsons isn’t trying to be the next Reggie White, he is his own player and person; he does want to leave behind that kind of legacy.
On one of the walls within the Lambeau Field facility are pictures of White, Brett Favre, and other Packers’ legends. Parsons wants to be on that wall one day, but in order to get there, the individual stats are a part of the equation, but winning is perhaps the most important element.
“I just looked at him like somebody who won,” Parsons said of White. “He came here and did that. I think I can do that too. I think I can do anything I put my mind to. I looked on that wall and I saw Brett Favre, I saw Reggie, I saw all those legends, and I was like ‘I’ve got to be there.’
“You go in the draft room and they’re all having their hands up. They’re all having that moment. I’m looking for that moment. I’m going to take advantage of this moment and maximize it to reach that moment.”