‘Winning Is Everything’ to New Packers Star Micah Parsons

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers didn’t just add an elite pass rusher when they traded for Micah Parsons this week. They added an elite competitor.

“Oh, man, winning is everything to me,” Parsons said during his introductory news conference at Lambeau Field on Friday. “I don’t think you’re going to find a more competitive person on the team or anywhere in the NFL when it comes to anything we do.

“We could go out and shoot hoops. We could go out there and throw a baseball, see who can throw the hardest whether it’s miles per hour. We could go run 40-yard sprints, I’ll wait until you get tired if you’re faster than me, I don’t think you’re going to find someone that’s more competitive.”

Parsons has been a dominant player in his four seasons. It’s not just the sacks, though there’s a lot of them as his 52.5 since entering the league in 2021 ranks fifth in the NFL. During his four seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, he ranks third in pressures and first in pass-rush productivity, which combines sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap.

It’s not just the elite production, though. Parsons is an elite competitor, which is something coach Matt LaFleur noticed when he coached the Pro Bowl after the 2021 season.

“The majority of the guys looked like they were going through the motions. Except for one guy,” LaFleur said. “And he was trying to wreck shop out there.”

From a mentality perspective, Parsons should find a kindred spirit in his new pass-rushing partner, Rashan Gary, who former defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich last season called the “engine” who “drives” the team.

“I’ve been dominant,” Gary said during training camp “but, of course, you know me, I’m never satisfied. So, my play has to pick up. I’m always hard on myself.” His goal for the season was “being consistent on the first, all the way to the fourth, down. Being hell to reckon with.”

With money and stardom comes responsibility, which Parsons has embraced.

“If you’re going to be the best player, you have to find ways to lead,” he said. “And I wouldn’t say I’m the most vocal guy, I’m a guy that just wants to go out there and run through somebody’s face and make some plays. But as I kind of grew up and I was able to sit back and be a teacher for once and show guys things and be that on the field, I think it allowed me to see a different side of myself that I think I can add here now.”

Parsons, to use Gary’s phrase, has been hell to reckon with throughout his career. In all four seasons, he’s been a Pro Bowler. That includes two first-team All-Pro selections. Parsons and Reggie White are the only players in NFL history to start their careers with four seasons of 12-plus sacks.

The numbers are great, but as he chases players like White while on the way to being considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Parsons knows the ultimate goal. The Cowboys won only one playoff game in their four seasons together. While that obviously isn’t Parsons’ fault, White’s GOAT status was cemented by his three sacks of Drew Bledsoe in Green Bay’s victory in Super Bowl XXXI.

“When you talk about winning and the 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 a lot of this history, this program does,” Parsons said. “They went further than us and, obviously, they had a big one against us and I trust Coach LaFleur.”

So do the Packers. Their last Super Bowl championship in 2010 seems like eternity ago. Under general manager Brian Gutekunst, the Packers became the first team in NFL history with three consecutive seasons of 13-plus wins in the regular season and got nothing to show for it.

In 2019, they weren’t ready for primetime and were crushed by the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. In 2020, David Bakhtiari’s torn ACL and a pandemic conspired against them in their loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game. In 2021, the Packers went one-and-done with a feeble home playoff loss to the 49ers.

The last three years haven’t been up to their standards. In 2022, they missed the playoffs with Aaron Rodgers. In 2023, they rallied to get to the playoffs and beat Parsons and the Cowboys. In 2024, they went 11-6 but were dreadful in division games and big match.ups.

Last week, Gutekunst spoke to reporters after final roster cuts. With the Parsons rumor mill swirling like a cyclone, he said “You’re never one player away” from winning a championship. He’s right, of course. Jordan Love needs to play better, the offensive line has to protect better, the cornerbacks have to cover and so on.

But never mind the one-player premise. This was a move intended to help a really good team take the next step. The next big step.

“I do think this guy is going to add to our football team and I think he’s certainly going to help us win football games,” Gutekunst said on Friday. “I just don’t really believe one player puts you over the top, so to speak. I’ve never believed in that. But the biggest thing is going to be these guys coming together and them putting their individual goals aside and deciding we want to win.”

One player, in particular, has decided he wants to win. That’s the guy in the No. 1 jersey with the No. 1 mindset.

“I really feel like we can do it,” he said, “and, like I said, I really want to win real bad.”

Packers Trade for Superstar Micah Parsons

Packers Trade for Superstar Micah Parsons

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