Micah Parsons acclimating quickly to Packers’ defense under Jeff Hafley

Paul Bretl | 9/5/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Micah Parsons has been ramping up both physically and mentally for the Packers’ Week 1 season opener against the Detroit Lions.

Parsons has been limited in the Packers’ practices this week, but Matt LaFleur did acknowledge that there has been a progression over the three practices in what he’s been asked to do. This ramp-up is not only to be mindful of Parsons’ back, but to get him where he needs to be physically after not practicing all summer due to the injury.

After each day, the Packers evaluate how Parsons has responded to his workload. The team is “hopeful,” as LaFleur put it, that he can be available in some capacity on Sunday.

However, along with physically preparing himself for Week 1, Parsons has also been learning a new defensive playbook and scheme on the fly–a task that has come fairly easily for him.

“Honestly, bro, the system’s been pretty easy,” Parsons said on Thursday. “I think they’re just good teachers – great teachers. The coaches been unbelievable getting me in extra meetings, staying out later, coming in before, coming in on the off-day, and just me on my own time catching up to make their transition a lot easier. So, we all just been hands on trying to learn this playbook.”

In just a few short days, Parsons believes that he is already 80% through Hafley’s playbook.

“The thing I have learned in a short period of time, he’s got a really high football IQ,” said Jeff Hafley. “I mean very high IQ. I mean he can take the information and give it back to you very quickly and that has been very impressive. That is something I did not know because I’ve never been around him, but he has a high football IQ.”

Parsons’ robust football knowledge is derived from the work he puts in and his love of the game–wanting to constantly learn more to help further his growth as a player.

Additionally, his time in Dallas, specifically playing under Mike Zimmer last season, has also played an important role in helping Parsons with the transition to Hafley’s playbook. Zimmer was Parsons’ defensive coordinator for just one season with the Cowboys, but his impact on the pass rusher, specifically his understanding of the game from the offense’s perspective, was huge.

“I’m actually really grateful for Zim,” Parsons said, “because I told him coming here I was like, Zim taught me so much about protection. ‘This beats protections. Expect this in this protection.’ Some of the looks they’re over here trying to teach me, I’m like, ‘Yo, I’ve been under the master Zimmer, so there’s not much you can pretty much tell me about protections. I understand how each alignment is going dictate the pressure, me aligning is going to dictate the pressure and how we can open things up.”

Hafley found out that the Packers were trading for Parsons when LaFleur walked into his office and handed him the phone with Parsons on the other end. Not long after that phone call ended, Hafley began watching Parsons’ tape, specifically every pressure he has generated during his NFL career–and there are a lot of them. To be exact, at least according to PFF, Parsons has 352 total quarterback pressures in his first four NFL seasons.

As a defensive coordinator, the film work that Hafley does is on opposing offenses as he puts together his game plans or self-scouts his own Packers’ defense. So having the opportunity to truly closely examine Parsons’ game was “fun” and like “watching a highlight film.”

The crash course in Parsons’ film helped Hafley gain a deeper understanding of all the ways he could utilize Parsons within his defense. Of course, Hafley wasn’t going to divulge what any of that might be, but the big grin on his face every time he talked about Parsons highlighted what seems to be endless possibilities.

“We’re learning like, who can go here, it’s like the chess board, back to the chess board,” Parsons said. “We’re learning what piece is what and I think Haf, he wants to make me a queen again and move me around and he’s tryna say, what do you like? What don’t you like? And I’m like, man, I like it all. Just load it whatever and then we’ll talk about (it later) and I think that’s what he’s been doing.”

If there has been a challenge so far for Parsons, it’s been in taking it slow to start, both in terms of monitoring his reps on the practice field and in what the Packers will ask of him schematically in his first game.

While Parsons may want everything at once, realistically, from Week 1 to Week 2 and so on, there is going to be a progression in terms of how much Hafley puts on his plate Xs and Os-wise. Naturally, there is extreme excitement around the addition of Parsons, and the urge is to thrust him into the mix right away to see the fullest extent of his impact.

However, it’s still a long season, and the Packers don’t want to get ahead of themselves either. Both physically and when it comes to the playbook, the Packers and Parsons will ramp up as fast as possible, but they’ll stay on course as well–moving quickly, but not in a hurry.

“I’m so hungry, I want it all at once,” Parsons said of the playbook. “But that’s why you got coaches and I always been like that. I never been the type to say, I’m finna come back on seconds. I’m finna load the plate all at once. I’m finna get everything I need in one meal, so that’s just always been me since I was a kid and as players, all we know — like I said, I tell people all I know is go.  

“I do have to get healthy, I do have to do all those little things to make sure there’s a longevity piece in this. It is 18 weeks. There is hopes for playoff run and a long playoff run, so we have to think about that and making sure that everything is good to go.”

Rapid ascension earns Packers’ punter Daniel Whelan extension

Paul Bretl | 9/4/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers announced on Thursday that they have signed punter Daniel Whelan to a contract extension.

This deal comes on the heels of the Packers extending long-snapper Matt Orzech to a three-year extension shortly after roster cutdowns took place. Green Bay also signed kicker Brandon McManus earlier this offseason in free agency to a three-year deal.

The current iteration of the Packers’ special teams battery will remain intact for the foreseeable future. This is reportedly a two-year extension for Whelan, who was set to be a restricted free agent during the 2026 offseason.

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“I think organizationally, we’re excited about having those guys where they’re not really worried about the future, to some degree,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said on Thursday. “They’re worried about getting better each particular day, to see if they get better at their craft. So we’re excited about the direction they’re going.”

Whelan was an FCS All-American during his final collegiate season at UC-Davis in 2021. He would go undrafted in 2022, initially signing with the New Orleans Saints, but was released prior to training camp.

Whelan played in the XFL during the spring of 2023 before signing with the Packers and eventually beating out veteran Pat O’Donnell for Green Bay’s punter job.

From the jump, Whelan’s leg strength has been obvious. As a first-year player, he averaged 46.2 yards per punt–the second-highest average in Packers’ history. He was also fourth in hang-time that season among all punters.

In Year 2, Whelan was the first punter in Packers’ history to average 46 or more yards per punt and 40-plus yards per net punt. League-wide in 2024, Whelan had the seventh-lowest return rate and was tied for third in hang-time.

“It’s a credit to him and his work ethic and the way in which he’s improved,” Bisaccia said. “I think that the thing that gets overlooked a little bit is what he’s done in the summer, the work that he’s done in the last few summers. He’s been out there in California. He’s worked with Mike Scifres a lot, and he’s worked with Nick Novak, and he’s been with AJ Cole, and so he’s been around other punters in the league, and kind of seen how they’ve progressed and how they’ve worked, and what it’s supposed to be like.

“I think that he comes back each year, he’s come back really ready to go, and he’s done a lot of work on his own to get to the place that he’s at right now.”

While the booming punts from Whelan will garner the attention, some of his biggest strides have been made in the nuances that come with being a punter at the NFL level.

“I think his understanding of where we are on the field,” Bisaccia said of Whelan’s growth during training camp. “What’s the situation in the game, how’s the returner playing you, what’s your line, will you stay true to your line, what’s the wind. There’s so many things going on that he has to become more aware of as the game is going on. Is he doubled on one side, singled on the other? Is it double-double on both sides? Is it a six-man front?

“It’s on and on and on and then adjusting to a snap that might be a little bit to his right or a little at his knee or a little at his number and again, a lot of things that go on.”

Not to be overlooked, either, is the stability that Whelan has provided as a holder. This includes last summer, learning on the fly and adjusting to several different kickers.

By McManus’ own admission, he is very particular in how he wants the ball held, and that changes depending on the distance and what hash he is on. However, with Whelan as the holder, one would have never known that from the outside looking in, with how seamless the operation was during that initial transition.

Along with the praise for Whelan, Bisaccia also mentioned that continued consistency is still needed from him. But he is certainly viewed as an ascending player, and while the Packers ultimately want him on the field as little as possible–kicking punts, that is–when he’s out there, he’s shown the ability to flip the field and set the defense up in advantageous situations.

“I think he’s capable of being a really good player,” Bisaccia said. “The expectation for him is the standard is the standard and he has set the standard now, so he has to play above that at all times and I think that’s what we’re gonna expect from him.”

Kenny Clark’s presence on and off the field felt throughout Packers team

Paul Bretl | 9/3/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Bittersweet. When the news broke that the Packers were trading for Micah Parsons, there was a whirlwind of emotions for many.

On one hand, the Packers just added one of the game’s most dominant defenders to an already stout defensive unit. However, to do so, along with trading away two first-round draft picks, Green Bay had to part with Kenny Clark.

“What an exceptional player, exceptional person,” GM Brian Gutekunst said of Clark. “Really hard to see him go, but there was really no way around it. That was the one thing that was going to be part of this trade no matter what for them.”

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Still not even 30 years old, Clark was about to embark on his 10th season with the Packers. On the field, he was a stalwart in the middle of the Packers’ defensive front during that span, which includes making three Pro Bowls.

Throughout his playing career, Clark has been durable and almost always available. Since the 2019 season, he’s missed just four games and has appeared in every game over the last three seasons–even in 2024, when he played through a foot injury for much of the year.

Clark was effective both against the run and as a pass rusher. At various points in his playing career, he was among PFF’s highest-graded run defenders while also having multiple seasons of 60-plus quarterback pressures, one of which came as recently as 2023.

“What a rare, rare, rare opportunity to get a guy of his caliber,” Matt LaFleur said of Parsons. “Now, I will say, for me it’s extremely bittersweet because Kenny Clark, since the day I got hired here, I want to say I think he’s the last guy that was on the roster when I was hired.

LaFleur continued, “Obviously a great player and as a great of a player as he is, I believe he’s an even better person, and I think you guys probably feel the same way in terms of just, he is going to treat everybody with the utmost respect and he is revered in that locker room. So it is bittersweet when you lose a player not only of that caliber but just the type of leader he was for our locker room.”

Clark was never the most vocal leader that the Packers had in their locker room, but his actions spoke volumes. From how he watched film, attacked practices, went through his recovery and treatment, Clark set the example for how to be a pro and how to put yourself in the best position to be successful on Sundays.

Rookie Nazir Stackhouse was only able to spend about four months with Clark, but he made a quick impression on the first-year player in how he approaches being an NFL player. As Stackhouse said, when facing decisions moving forward, this is a ‘What Would Kenny Do?’ type situation–“the standard is still the standard,” he added.

Clark’s presence expanded beyond the football field and Lambeau facilities–his house was always open to his teammates.

During OTAs and minicamp, the defensive line unit would gather at Clark’s house weekly to watch film and then relax and watch the NBA Finals or whatever else was on.

Colby Wooden said on Monday that he is a regular at Clark’s house, hanging out there almost “every other day.”

For many in this Packers locker room, but especially within the defensive tackle unit, Clark was like a big brother.

“For me, it’s a shock of reality,” Wooden said. “Like, my first couple years, we’ve been blessed with, I don’t want to say a false reality, but we’ve been in our own little bubble. But this is a business, and transactions do go down. So for us, we’ve just got to keep playing ball.

“We know what to do. He was with me my first two years. I’ve got to trust the coaching I get from DC and also go back to the things I talked about with my big bro.”

Like Wooden said, the NFL is a business at the end of the day. And an unfortunate element of that is parting with players who have been key figures within the organization–like Clark.

However, in that same breath, this is a move that Gutekunst should make 10 out of 10 times. Two things can be true at once–Clark’s impact on this Packers team can’t be overstated, but acquiring Parsons was the right play, given where this team currently stands.

Without Clark, there is now a much greater opportunity for everyone else at the defensive line position. Devonte Wyatt will be leading the way, while Wooden and Karl Brooks’ roles will expand greatly. The same can be said for Stackhouse and Warren Brinson as well.

“We love Kenny around here,” Brooks said. “He’s a great player, great mentor, great leader, everything. You can’t stop saying enough great things about him. But just to go out there at that level and perform and go out there and get after it, I’m excited. I’m blessed for this opportunity just to get more reps, more snaps, so just excited.”

Rasheed Walker says he’ll start at left tackle for Packers in season opener

Paul Bretl | 9/2/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Late last week, Matt LaFleur wasn’t ready to announce who the Packers’ starting left tackle would be in their season opener against Detroit.

“We shall see next week,” LaFleur said. On a follow-up question, LaFleur repeated the same answer.

However, Rasheed Walker was much more forthcoming with that information. While at his locker following Monday’s practice, Walker was asked if he’d be starting against Detroit, but rather than providing a LaFleur-like answer to the question, Walker was direct: “Yes,” he will be starting at left tackle.

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Walker and Jordan Morgan competing for those starting left tackle snaps was one of the few true competitions that the Packers had this summer.

In the early going of training camp, while Elgton Jenkins was on the non-football injury list, Morgan’s playing time came at guard, which left Walker to take really all of the first-team left tackle reps.

However, a groin injury would sideline Walker for a few weeks. He missed the Packers’ family night scrimmage and didn’t return to the practice field in full until the final week of the preseason.

Once back on the practice field, Walker again took the bulk of the left tackle snaps, while Morgan filled in at left guard for Aaron Banks that final week.

While Walker found himself in the midst of a competition at left tackle, it’s not as if he’s performed poorly for the Packers. Not to say that there isn’t room for growth, but overall, Walker has provided Green Bay with a steady presence at one of the game’s most important positions, which includes him making 34 starts over the previous two seasons.

“Shoot, I feel like it’s my job,” Walker said when asked how he feels about getting the start. “I’m going to go out there and handle my business and put my team in the best position to win. I’m going to do my part and I feel like we’re all going to be ready to play.”

The Packers’ coaching staff was very complimentary of Morgan and what they saw from him this summer, especially in his preseason appearances. However, Morgan is still an inexperienced player, and there is something to be said for the reliability that Walker brings and knowing what you’re going to get from him.

“I think any time we make a decision,” LaFleur said, “it’s who do we feel most comfortable that’s going to go out there and compete to the best of their ability and help us win. It always comes down to that. Thankfully we feel good about a couple options.”

Morgan coming off the bench does give the Packers more flexibility than Walker would. Walker is only going to fill in at tackle, while Morgan can play both tackle and guard. So, in terms of maintaining continuity up front, if an injury does occur, there will be less movement involved if Morgan has to be inserted into the lineup vs. Walker.

With that said, I still wouldn’t rule out the Packers rotating Walker and Morgan at left tackle this season, which is something we’ve seen often in the past from the Packers. This includes Walker and Yosh Nijman rotating at left tackle in 2023, Jon Runyan and Sean Rhyan rotating at right guard that same season, and then Rhyan and Morgan doing the same in 2024.

LaFleur hasn’t ruled out that possibility either.

“I think sometimes it can be good, certainly in terms of just the urgency of playing every play at a high level,” LaFleur said of rotating on the offensive line last week. “I think it just naturally ups that, but — and I think also it’s just like a lot of D-linemen, most teams rotate their D-linemen and so you can kind of wear down an offensive line if it’s just fresh people rolling at ’em all the time, so there is some good that comes with rotating guys up front.

“The one thing that is always a concern is the continuity factor in terms of how those guys are working those combination blocks or getting off the ball together.”

Addition of Micah Parsons to Packers’ defense ‘scary’ and will cause ‘nightmares’ for opponents

Paul Bretl | 9/1/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers locker room is fully aware of the caliber of player that Micah Parsons is and what this addition means for their defense and the team as a whole.

“His play speaks for itself,” Rashan Gary said at his locker on Monday. “The name speaks for itself. I feel like the sky’s the limit for him. I feel like the sky’s the limit for our defensive line group. Just can’t wait to see him go.”

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Before trading for Parsons, the expectations for this Packers team were already high. But now, following the addition of one of the best defensive players in football, those expectations have managed to grow.

So much so that Rasheed Walker took to X after the trade was reported, declaring that the Packers would win this year’s Super Bowl. When asked about the post at his locker on Monday afternoon, Walker stuck with what he originally said.

“I think it upped our chances by a lot,” Walker said of the Super Bowl. “We got a solid pass rush across the whole line. I don’t think no one’s gonna be able to throw the ball like that on us. It’s gonna open up opportunities for our DBs and our offense, so yeah, I feel like Micah’s gonna have a good presence on the field and it’s gonna really be advantageous to us.”

Parsons joins the Packers after spending his four NFL seasons in Dallas. While hyperbole is popular in today’s sports landscape, it’s not hyperbole to say that Parsons is currently on a Hall of Fame trajectory.

He joins the Packers having made four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. Since 2021, Parsons has recorded the fifth-most sacks in football during that span, along with two 100-plus pressure seasons.

Last year, despite missing four games, Parsons still ranked seventh among all defensive ends in pressures. It’s not only that Parsons wins often, but as Matt LaFleur mentioned, he often wins quickly.

“When he’s rushing, crazy good first step and just good lateral movement,” said Rasheed Walker, Parsons’ college teammate. “He’s just like a freak athlete. I feel like personally we could do a lot of stuff with him – stand him up, stand him over the center on third down, having him rush the edge.

“He played linebacker in college, he could run sideline to sideline, so I mean he’s going to definitely contribute a lot, and he could play running back.”

Parsons, on his own, can stuff the stat sheet, but his presence on the Packers’ defensive front will benefit the entire defense.

For one, in the week leading up to facing Parsons and the Packers defense, game planning for him “keeps you up at night,” LaFleur said from his own experiences.

On the field, if offenses choose to double-team or chip Parsons, that leaves Gary and others in favorable one-on-one matchups. If offenses don’t double-team Parsons, then in all likelihood, the ball better be coming out quickly. It’s truly a pick-your-poison scenario for opponents.

“It’s scary,” Gary said of the Packers’ defense. “It’s for sure scary with the pieces that we have. The guys that we have, especially with the mindsets we all have. Especially talking to him today, we’re kind of similar persons in terms of mindset. So it’s going to be scary for teams, for sure.”

Parsons has dominated as a pass rusher, but he also brings added versatility to the Packers’ defense. He can rush from the left or right side, line up across multiple gaps, and he also has over 800 snaps in his NFL career at off-ball linebacker.

In addition to Jeff Hafley getting a high-impact pass rusher, there is also the ability for Hafley to utilize him in a variety of ways in conjunction with Gary, Edgerrin Cooper, and others, allowing the Packers defense to throw a lot of different looks at opposing offenses.

So for opponents, it’s not only about figuring out how to slow Parsons, Cooper, Gary, or Xavier McKinney, but also about deciphering where they are lined up on each snap, and where those players are pre-snap may not be where they are aligned when the quarterback hits the top of his drop.

“Nightmares for the offensive side of the ball,” Cooper said. “I feel like Haf’s gonna have a pretty fun time with us, so ready to look towards that.”

Parsons was on the practice field for the first time on Monday as a member of the Packers. He took limited reps in his first practice of the summer, but Rasheed Walker expects Parsons to take on a larger role in practice as the week unfolds.

Micah Parsons’ Week 1 workload still TBD but Packers’ pass rusher ready to give his all right away

Paul Bretl | 8/31/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers trading for Micah Parsons was first reported on Thursday afternoon. He had his introductory press conference on Friday–just nine days before Green Bay opens the regular season at home against Detroit.

Up to this point, Parsons hasn’t been on the practice field yet this summer as he worked through a back injury and contract negotiations with Dallas. GM Brian Gutekunst said he was confident that Parsons’ back injury isn’t long-term and is something they’ll be able to work through quickly.

However, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a ramp-up period involved in Parsons’ acclimation process to Green Bay, which could impact Parsons’ workload in the season opener.

“I think we’re going to have to see,” Gutekunst said about Parsons’ workload Week 1. “We’ll have a chance to get him out there Monday and see where he’s at. Certainly, I think we’re hopeful that he’ll help us in some form or fashion in the opener, but I do think it’s on us to be smart and make sure that he’s ready to go.”

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The Packers players, including Parsons, will return to Green Bay and Lambeau Field on Sunday, following a few days off prior to the regular season getting underway.

On Monday, the team will be on the practice field, which will be the first time that Parsons will be able to participate this summer in some capacity, and it will give the Packers their first up-close look at the three-time All-Pro.

“I think more than anything we’ve got to get him here, we’ve got to see where he’s at,” Matt LaFleur said of Parsons. “I don’t believe he’s practiced so we’ve got to be very calculated with how we deploy him and just the number of snaps that he’s going to get.

“The first part of that is you’ve got to assess the situation and in order to do that you’ve got to have some sort of physical movement.”

Parsons joins the Packers after making the Pro Bowl four times in his first four NFL seasons. He’s also a three-time All-Pro, has recorded the most sacks since 2021, and has two 100-plus quarterback pressure seasons.

As the numbers and accolades illustrate, he is the ultimate disruptor. His ability to not only win but to do so as quickly as he does changes the calculus for opposing offenses. As LaFleur said from his own experiences, game planning for Parsons “keeps you up at night.”

So, regardless of what Parsons’ snap count total looks like in Week 1, this late addition to the Packers roster has thrown a huge curveball at the Detroit Lions, who now have to be fully prepared to see Parsons, who has the ability to alter a game even if on a reduced workload.

While the sacks and pressures will garner the attention–and understandably so–Parsons’ impact on this Packers’ defense will go well beyond his own column on the stat sheet.

As LaFleur described, offenses have to pick their poison, so to speak. If an offense is going to double-team Parsons, then that leaves Rashan Gary and others in one-on-one matchups. And if the opponent doesn’t double-team Parsons, well, the ball better be coming out hot.

There is also the versatility he brings to the defense, able to rush from multiple alignments, along with having played over 800 career snaps at linebacker, according to PFF. So it is not only Parsons’ game-wrecking abilities that have to be accounted for, but where he’s making those plays from will change as well, especially in Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme.

“He says he’s got a lot planned for me,” Parsons said of Jeff Hafley. “I just got my iPad today (Friday). I’m going to look over it. I’m super excited. I know about his creativity. I’ve heard a lot.”

Even if Parsons were to be a full-go in Week 1, we still wouldn’t see the fullest extent of that versatility on display. That will come as he gets acclimated and comfortable with Hafley’s scheme.

Along with physically getting back on the football field, Parsons will be learning a new defensive scheme on the fly. There will be a lot of one-on-one time, said LaFleur, as the coaching staff works to get Parsons up to speed as quickly as possible. However, LaFleur is confident that Parsons will acclimate quickly.

So what will Parsons’ playing time look like against Detroit? Well, perhaps that is still to be determined after seeing how the week unfolds. I will also guess that the Packers will keep that a bit of a mystery throughout the week as well.

However, if you ask Parsons about his Week 1 workload, he feels good and wants to contribute right away. As he said, the Packers didn’t bring him here to sit on the sidelines.

“Physically, I’m great,” Parsons said. “I think I can contribute a lot. I’m going to team up with the doctors in creating a plan. We already talked about how we can ramp things up and get me into a flow where they feel comfortable and I feel comfortable.

“But my plan is to be here. They didn’t give up what they gave up for me to sit on the sidelines and make this big of a risk and change for me to do that, so I’m going to give them my all. “

Packers ‘confident’ in defensive tackle depth without Kenny Clark

Paul Bretl | 8/31/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the first time in nearly a decade, the Packers won’t have Kenny Clark’s presence in the middle of the defensive front.

Along with trading two first-round draft picks to acquire Micah Parsons, Green Bay also parted with Clark.

However, when it comes to the interior defensive tackle position, both Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur are confident in the group of players who remain on the roster.

“I feel really good about the group,” Gutekunst said. “We obviously have a couple of unproven rookie player that haven’t gone out there and done it but they’ve done a nice job in camp so far and we’re excited about it. But I felt all along last year with TJ and Kenny here that Karl and Wooden and D-Wy, I just felt that they probably needed more reps and deserved more reps.”

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Now leading the way at defensive tackle will be Devonte Wyatt. We’ve seen flashes from the now fourth-year defensive tackle throughout his career. During two separate stretches last season, from Weeks 1-3 and then again in Weeks 15-18, Wyatt ranked in the top 10 among all defensive tackles in quarterback pressures in those respective spans.

Colby Wooden has put on more good weight this offseason and is up to the 300-pound mark. He will now provide the Packers with a run-first presence, which will include playing some nose tackle. It’s a role he’s acclimated himself to well this summer.

Karl Brooks, meanwhile, will continue to see more pass-rushing opportunities. Out of 120 eligible tackles in 2024, Brooks ranked 34th in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric.

Then there are the two rookies, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse. Brinson will be more of a pass rusher, while Stackhouse provides the defensive front with a different skill set, with his combination of size and run-stuffing abilities.

“We feel pretty confident with the depth that we have there,” LaFleur said of the defensive tackles. “I think that growth that we’ve seen from guys like Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, then we got the two rooks inside there. Obviously Devonte Wyatt. We feel confident with that group.”

With that said, while there is confidence in this group, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t unknowns either.

For Wyatt, as the new lead option here, there is a level of consistency that still needs to be unlocked. Without Clark, his ability to help out against the run is now going to be even more vital.

Brooks hasn’t played more than 40% of the defensive snaps in a single season over his career, while Wooden is yet to surpass the 25% mark. And rounding out the defensive tackle depth chart are two rookies–a late Day 3 pick and UDFA.

However, the new-look defensive tackle group won’t have to solely shoulder the burden of replacing Clark’s on-field presence. The defensive end position, including Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Parsons, has the versatility to move inside during certain situations.

Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme has showcased in just one season the ability to throw a variety of different looks at opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks to help create some favorable matchups for the defensive front.

Then, of course, there is the Micah Parsons effect. His presence and the attention he draws will create a lot of one-on-one opportunities for those in the middle–and really everyone around him.

“Very confident,” LaFleur said of the defensive tackle position. “I feel like just in our conversations that’s one thing Gutey and I talked about is we had six guys on the inside on our roster and I also think there’s situationally other guys you can kick inside as well. I think it just–you can never have enough edge rushers in this league. That’s a premium position.”

On the field or off, you don’t just replace a player like Kenny Clark. A group effort will be required to do so, but between the defensive tackle depth, the upgraded defensive end position, and Hafley’s defense, the Packers believe they are positioned well to navigate Clark’s absence.

“I felt we were deep and, obviously, we’ve lost a couple guys now going into the season (Clark and TJ Slaton) but I’m excited with those guys that have been here will and I’m interested to see also what Stackhouse and Brinson will bring to the table, as well,” added Gutekunst.

‘Very rare’ opportunity catalyst behind Packers aggressive pursuit of Micah Parsons

Paul Bretl | 8/30/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers accumulate draft capital. “You can never have enough,” as we’ve heard GM Brian Gutekunst say in the past. This is a key part of their organizational philosophy and roster-building approach that extends beyond Gutekunst’s tenure.

So when the Packers traded away their next two first-round picks, along with defensive tackle stalwart Kenny Clark, to acquire Micah Parsons–yeah, that was very much against the grain.

But this was a unique situation. There are very few Micah Parsons-caliber players in the NFL, and those players just do not become available. So when lightning strikes, you go against the organizational grain and pay the premium.

“Obviously a player like Micah, he’s very unique and very rare is it that they’re available,” Gutekunst said on Friday evening. “As this kind of came together, it was one of those things where it was a unique opportunity for us, and it was going to cost. There was going to be some expense with it, but we just kind of thought it was the best thing for our football team. We’re excited to get him.”

Matt LaFleur also called this a “very rare, rare, rare opportunity” to land a player of Parsons’ caliber.

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Along with trading away two first-round draft picks and Clark for Parsons, the Packers also made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Under contract for the 2025 season, the Packers signed Parsons to a four-year extension, keeping him in Green Bay for the next five seasons. This record-setting deal is worth $186 million in total and includes $136 million guaranteed.

Between Parsons’ and Jordan Love’s contracts, the Packers are paying just those two players over $100 million per season based on average annual values. With deals of those magnitudes on the books, the margins can become much smaller when it comes to navigating the offseason.

There can be less cap space to utilize in free agency and less available money for the Packers to re-sign their own draft picks. In addition to that, while every team wants to hit on every draft pick, it becomes a near-must in these situations in order to have some high-level contributors on relatively inexpensive rookie deals to help offset the major contracts.

However, Gutekunst doesn’t feel that stress when it comes to the impact of Parsons’ contract on the salary cap. In fact, he really likes how the first three years (2025-2027) shook out. Helping the Packers lower the initial cap hits were a $44 million signing bonus, which can be prorated over the life of the contract, along with using two void years on the back end of the deal, providing additional years to push current cap charges towards.

“I really like the three-year cap numbers, the first three years,” Gutekunst said of the contract. “I think that’s gonna give us the flexibility with a lot of really good players coming up that we’re still gonna be able to keep those guys. There’s no doubt when you acquire a player like this, who’s gonna take up that much of the cap, that you’re gonna have to make some choices. You always do.

“But again, looking at it right now, the cap numbers for 25, 26 and 27, I think are pretty solid for us and we’ll kind of see where that goes.”

Parsons is a four-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro, and has generated the fifth-most sacks in football since entering the NFL. All you have to do to see his impact is flip on any Cowboys game or head to any site that tracks player metrics.

But Parsons’ impact will go well beyond his own column in the stat sheet. For one, as LaFleur can attest to having gone up against Parsons, in the week leading up to the game, there is an added stressor that comes with planning for his presence on the field. It “keeps you up at night,” LaFleur said.

On the field, Parsons’ ability to win and win quickly can allow the Packers to rush just four defenders more often, still have the opportunity to get after the quarterback, while then dropping seven into coverage.

Offenses will also have to pick their poison, so to speak. If you double-team Parsons, then that leaves Rashan Gary and others in one-on-one matchups. And if you don’t double-team Parsons, well, the ball better be coming out hot.

On top of all of that, there is his versatility. Not only can he be moved around the defensive front, but he can play off-ball linebacker as well. So paired with the high-impact player is the ability for Jeff Hafley to utilize him in a variety of ways, throwing a number of different looks at quarterbacks, which, on its own, can certainly present challenges.

“It’s a challenge,” LaFleur said of game-planning for Parsons. “Any time you got a premier edge rusher it’s a big time challenge. First and second down, are you going to play-action pass? Do you really wanna have only one guy on him? There’s a lot of different hoops you gotta jump through and you don’t know where necessarily he’s always going to line up. Is he going to line up inside, outside?

“That’s where it’s really fun for our defensive staff and becomes a real challenge for you offensively because, like I said, he’s made a lot of people look really bad. He wins so fast. That’s the thing that you really have to account for is just how fast he can get to the quarterback.”

Parsons has yet to practice this summer as he worked through a back issue and contract negotiations with Dallas. Gutekunst is confident that the back injury isn’t long-term and that they’ll be able to work through it quickly.

However, from the sounds of it, there will still need to be a ramp-up period for Parsons after not playing actual football for several months.

“I think we’re going to have to see,” Gutekunst said about Parsons’ workload Week 1. “We’ll have a chance to get him out there Monday and see where he’s at. Certainly, I think we’re hopeful that he’ll help us in some form or fashion in the opener, but I do think it’s on us to be smart and make sure that he’s ready to go.”

Along with ramping up physically, Parsons will be getting a crash course in Hafley’s defense, which will begin on Sunday afternoon when he returns to Green Bay with the rest of the players. As LaFleur said, there will be a lot of time spent together, but he’s also confident that the acclimation will take place quickly.

A move of this magnitude feels like the chips are being pushed to the middle of the table for the 2025 season. But as Gutekunst reminded everyone, this was a move that was made not only for 2025 but for multiple seasons. With Parsons still just 26 years old and the Packers still retaining some cap flexibility in the coming years, while Gutekunst has said he doesn’t believe in championship windows, this current window for the Packers is wide open.

Packers’ Micah Parsons understands gravity of expectations on his shoulders

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.

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“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.”

Urgency is high, chips are in: Packers make blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons

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 first-team 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.

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