Just 10 days after the blockbuster trade that sent him from Dallas to Green Bay, Micah Parsons entered Lambeau Field as a Packer for the first time. Donning the green No. 1 jersey, the four-time Pro Bowler left no doubt that he was easily worth the price of admission for his team.
Even though the Packers coaching staff decided not to give him a full workload yet, he made his snaps count and had an active hand in what was a convincing 27-13 victory for his new club. During and after the game, Parsons also managed to answer quite a few questions surrounding him over the last few days and weeks.
Parsons is still a force to be reckoned with
In his first four seasons in the NFL, all of them with the Cowboys, Parsons developed into one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position. His disruptive potential is well-documented: he registered double-digit sacks in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 for a total of 52.5 over the course of his career.
On Sunday against the Lions, he added another to his tally when he took down quarterback Jared Goff in the late fourth quarter. The game was already out of reach at that point, but the play itself was still an impressive one.
Parsons’ first sack as a Packer, after all, showed that he has not skipped a beat, or slowed down in any way, since leaving Dallas. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he hit 18.47 mph in his pursuit of Goff.
As with every great pass rusher, sacks are not the only way to measure success. Parsons showed that as well on Sunday: he played a major role in one of the biggest plays of the day, a second-quarter red zone interception by Packers teammate Evan Williams.
Green Bay’s high-prized addition burst through Detroit’s right-side B-gap — manned by stalwart tackle Penei Sewell — to force Goff into an errant throw. At that point, the contest was still very much wide open. The pick, however, ensured that Detroit would not build any momentum heading into the half and potentially tie the game by scoring on both sides of the intermission.
Parsons did not finish atop the table in terms of sacks or tackles. However, he did not need to to make his debut a successful one. Not only did he make the most of his time on the field, he also helped Green Bay start the season 1-0 — something his ex-club very much did not.
One of the reasons Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones mentioned for trading Parsons to Green Bay was a desire to improve against the run. While this suggested that the 26-year-old might have had deficits versus the ground game, his first game as a Packer told a different story.
The Green Bay defense surrounded only 47 rushing yards on 21 non-kneel-down carries on Sunday, an average of just 2.2 yards per run. In fact, with Parsons on the field, the Packers gave up -1 rushing yards on six plays.
No, he is not at 100 percent yet
Parsons appeared in 63 of a possible 68 games while a Cowboy, and averaged a playing time share above 80 percent in each of his four seasons in Dallas. That is not a surprising number, either: you want a player of his caliber on the field as much as possible, because he has true game-changing potential.
As noted above, he did indeed flash that potential during his first game in Green Bay. And yet, he was on the field for only 45 percent of snaps, the lowest such number in his career.
Is that cause for concern? Not at all. For starters, Parsons has had not even two weeks to acclimate himself to the system of defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s system. He also was limited all week in practice with a back ailment and listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week.
Once he starts getting more familiar with the defense itself, and increases his workload during the week, his playing time on Sundays also should increase to his previous levels. And once it does, his numbers will likely follow suit.
The Cowboys conflict was emotionally draining
On August 1, four weeks before he was sent to Green Bay, Parsons took to the public to demand a trade from the Cowboys. That declaration, however, was only the tip of the iceberg; he had been at odds with Jerry Jones’ franchise for a while now.
Parsons admitted as such after Sunday’s game.
“These last six months were super draining, super toxic for everyone. It’s something that I don’t think any player should have to go through,” he said in the locker room after the game. “The fact that I was traded a week before the season was really outrageous and rough. It’s something where I could’ve been with these guys getting better and better and we could’ve had probably [an] even more dominant start.”
With his first game as a Packer in the books, however, Parsons’ focus is on the future.
“I’m just going to give these guys everything I have because I know what’s at stake and I know what they gave up for me to be here,” he said. “I’m going to do what it takes for us to win.”
Yes, he is worth the price
In the immediate aftermath of the trade that sent him to Green Bay, there were questions about whether or not giving up a pair of first-round draft picks plus a quality defensive tackle for Parsons was worth it for the Packers. Sure, we are only one game into his tenure with the team, but he already managed to show that he is worth what has been transferred to Dallas as part of the move.
His numbers alone do not tell the whole story. Rather, Parsons’ impact goes beyond the stat sheet: he is a true “Tuesday player,” meaning that opposing offenses are treating him as a major threat in their preparatory process. That alone has an impact how the game is played, and allows his teammates in the front seven to benefit from the attention he naturally demands.
Parsons is the epitome of a rising tide lifting all boats. Only, he is not a tide: he is a full-on storm that’s brewing in Green Bay.
