The Challenge, and Now the Impact, of Micah Parsons

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers reached the playoffs in 2023 and were rewarded with a trip to Dallas to face the Cowboys.

To win, Packers coach Matt LaFleur had to figure out how to prevent Micah Parsons from single-handedly wrecking the game. The Cowboys finished the season ranked No. 5 in points allowed and total defense due in large part to Parsons, who finished his third season with 14 sacks and a league-leading 103 pressures.

Now, Parsons will be wrecking games for the Packers. Parsons was acquired in a blockbuster trade on Thursday and had his introductory news conference at Lambeau Field on Friday evening.

“It’s a challenge,” LaFleur said of preparing for a player of Parsons’ elite caliber. “Anytime 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 want to have only one guy on him? There’s a lot of different hoops you got to jump through.”

Adding to the challenge is Parsons’ versatility. He might be at one position on first down, another position on second down and another position on third down.

“You don’t know where necessarily he’s always going to line up,” LaFleur continued. “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 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.”

According to Sports Info Solutions, Parsons ranked in the top eight in fastest average snap-to-pressure times in 2023 and 2024. By contrast, the Packers haven’t had an edge rusher rank in the top 60 in either of those seasons. He is No. 1 in pressure percentage over the past four seasons.

Parsons has 52.5 sacks in four seasons, putting him on a Reggie White trajectory.

When the Packers reached NFC Championship Games in 2019 and 2020, they had Za’Darius Smith – and his ability to move around the defense – working with Preston Smith.

Now, they’ll have Parsons – who is a much better player than Za’Darius Smith – working with Rashan Gary, who’s never had a 10-sack season but reached the Pro Bowl last year.

While not an elite player, Gary was a marked man by opposing offenses.

Not anymore.

Parsons will put up his numbers because he’s Parsons. Gary and Lukas Van Ness should have a bigger impact because of Parsons.

“Now you’ve got to pick,” LaFleur said. “There’s certain situations where – this is why I think the flexibility with your front is so important – because if a guy lines up at defensive end all the time, then you can find a guy and have your tight end or receiver, whoever, your back, and you can make sure you chip him.

“But when you couple him with the guy on the outside on the other side, now to your point, you’ve got to pick your poison. What are you going to do? Are you chipping both sides? Well, if you are, now you're not getting as many people out in the route, at least not initially. So, it definitely kind of flips the field in your favor.”

Parsons landed in Green Bay on Friday afternoon and went straight to Lambeau Field to meet some coaches and members of the front office, take his physical and sign his contract. He also got his iPad. On Sunday, he said he’d meet with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. On Monday, he will practice for the first time to get ready for the season-opening showdown against the Detroit Lions.

Among the people he met on Friday was Hafley, who “says he’s got a lot planned for me,” Parsons said. That was music to his ears.

“I love to move around,” Parsons said. “I think that creates the matchups that we like. Because, let’s be honest, man, it’s hard to get to the quarterback in this league. You’ve got to run favorable matchups, so when I get that opportunity of not getting double-teamed, I’ve got to win that matchup and I’ve got to take advantage of that and get pressure on the quarterback. [Otherwise], it’s kind of easy for a team to kind of program and say, ‘Hey, He’s always going to be on the left side.’

“That’s why I like to alternate. Sometimes I want to be on the right side. Sometimes I want to be on the left side. I just try to maximize my game, so that way, I can’t be limited or schemed against. So, I pretty much I’m cool to drop, show up, coming over the A gap, coming over the B gap. I’m really valuable in every which way. I think I can win at any spot on the field. It’s just about am I going to be put there. That’s the type of guy he has.”

Packers Land Superstar Micah Parsons

New #Packers star Micah Parsons is chasing legends like Reggie White.https://t.co/y0NrnODM9r
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 30, 2025