It sure looks like the Seahawks didn't need Micah Parsons

There was some interest by the Seattle Seahawks in trading for Micah Parsons before the season began. It didn't progress much beyond that, but it was something on their radar. They ultimately didn't get him, as he went to the Green Bay Packers.

Losing out on a generational edge rusher, one who has transformed the Packers' defense into a huge weapon, can be viewed as a loss. But the early returns in Seattle suggest that they never needed the former Cowboy anyway.

Seahawks Byron Murphy is tied for 1st in the NFL with the most QB pressures in the NFL.

Derrick Hall is 2nd 👀

1. Byron Murphy - 7
2. Carl Granderson - 7
3. Zach Allen - 7
4. Jeffery Simmons - 7
5. Derick Hall - 6
6. Micah Parsons - 6 pic.twitter.com/U8xNxRKYT1
— Sami ON Tap (@SamiOnTap) September 16, 2025

According to pressures, the Seahawks have the best pass-rusher in the NFL in Byron Murphy, a player who was poised to take a second-year leap and seems to have done so. He is tied for the lead with seven.

Derrick Hall is tied for second in the league with six pressures. That is the same number that Parsons has, except that Hall isn't playing on the NFL's largest-ever contract for a non-QB, and he didn't require two first-round picks and another stud defensive player. Parsons was worth all that, but he wasn't really a major need for Seattle this season.

It's undeniable that a player like Parsons improves pretty much every defense, but so far, it looks like the Seahawks were right to skip this one. Their defense would probably be a little better as pressures aren't the only stat worth anything in the pass-rush, but they would've had to pay an exorbitant price.

When it's all said and done, Parsons will probably be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Neither Murphy nor Hall is likely to be in that conversation, but it's clear that the Seahawks have a very strong pass rush despite that. That's a huge win and it sets them up to be better in the future with more draft capital and picks.

Mike Macdonald has always gotten more out of edge rushers than other coaches would be able to (see a veteran Kyle Van Noy in Baltimore for proof), so it was always smart to pass on trading for Parsons. Now, with the early success that two Seahawks are having, it is looking like a stroke of genius.

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