'Beaming For Weeks' How Packers' Micah Parsons Trade Boosts Jeff Hafley 1 Dec 29, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) works against Tennessee Titans guard Dennis Daley (71) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

‘Beaming For Weeks’ How Packers’ Micah Parsons Trade Boosts Jeff Hafley

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 3:23 PM ET

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley helped orchestrate a significant turnaround last season, and after Green Bay pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Micah Parsons, he could be poised to raise the ceiling even higher.

Hafley’s system is predicated on elite cornerback play, and that position had been in a state of flux for the Packers for much of the summer after releasing Jaire Alexander and trying to find some consistency in the secondary.

How Packers’ Micah Parsons Boosts Jeff Hafley

Thanks to Parsons’ arrival, along with his 52.5 career sacks fresh off a 2024 campaign that saw him generate 70 pressures, Hafley no longer needs to worry too much about scheming pressure on opposing quarterbacks to make life easier for his cornerbacks.

“Hafley immediately helped turn around a Packers defense that had long underperformed,” NFL Media’s Kevin Patra writes of the Parsons trade. “In his first season at the helm, Green Bay finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in total defense. The last time the Pack had registered in the top 10 in both categories was 2010. Hafley made it work without a dominant pass rusher. Gary led the Packers with 7.5 QB takedowns last season, yet Green Bay still ranked tied for eighth in the NFL with 45 sacks. That’s the scheme doing work.

“Now, inject the most dominant, moveable pass rusher in the game. The DC should be beaming for weeks. Adding Parsons isn’t just gaining an edge rusher. He’s the equivalent of a Queen in chess, able to move all around the board, taking out opponents at will. It’s a good day to be Jeff Hafley.”

Hafley can now lean on parsons’ game altering talent rather than needing the system to be the star of the Packers’ defense.

If Parsons makes the kind of impact the Packers believe he will — after trading two first round picks and Kenny Clark before commiting $188 million to the All-Pro, Hafley won’t just be leading a turbocharged defense but could cash in as a head coach, himself, next offseason.