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New Packers defensive end Micah Parsons reacts after a Dallas Cowboys preseason game. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

For Packers, Micah Parsons Is Worth Every Penny, Pick

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Jacob Westendorf | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:05 PM ET

Brian Gutekunst has been asked this question before.

When the offseason started, the Green Bay Packers’ general manager was asked about the premise of trading a premier draft pick for a veteran player.

His answer was simple.

“You’d better be right,” Gutekunst said. “When you trade a high pick for a veteran player, you’re trading a young, really good contract for a player who’s proven but is probably expensive.”

Enter Micah Parsons.

Packers on SI reported on Thursday morning that the Cowboys were accepting offers for Parsons and that the Packers were a suitor.

They are no longer suitors. In fact, they are Parsons’ new team.

The Packers acquired Parsons on Thursday afternoon in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. In addition, Parsons received a four-year contract that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

It’s a seismic move. One that shakes up the Packers’ potential fortunes for this season, not to mention the rest of the NFL landscape.

Once the dust settles in situations like this, the logical question to ask is whether the acquiring team gave up too much for a player. As Gutekunst said, you better be right when giving up picks and a contract of the magnitude that Parsons signed. Asking whether it’s too much is a fair question.

The Packers have been in the mix for certain players in the past. They’ve seemingly been connected to any and every receiver at the trade deadline since Gutekunst took the job in the big chair.

Could a run-of-the-mill receiver like Will Fuller or Robbie Anderson have helped the Packers in 2020 or 2021?

Sure.

Could an aging Von Miller have helped Green Bay’s pass rush in 2021?

Absolutely.

This situation is different.

When the Packers signed Reggie White, it was a franchise-altering move. White turned Green Bay from the NFL’s version of Siberia into a legitimate destination for other quality players.

White is on the short list of players that are in the discussion for the greatest of all time.

Nobody is Reggie White.

Micah Parsons, however, is in the same vein. This is a franchise-changing move.

With all due respect to some of the great players Gutekunst has acquired, there is no player they’ve acquired since White that could have the impact that Parsons could make.

He’s going to be 26 years old when the season starts. He’s still an ascending player. Considering age, he’s the best player the Packers could have acquired that might have become available.

There is no such thing as an overpay for that player.

Yes, giving up the first-round picks hurt. Sometimes those first-round picks net you players like quarterback Jordan Love or cornerback Jaire Alexander.

By the same token, draft picks are a mystery box. You take a player hoping they can become as good as someone like Parsons. Sometimes, however, that mystery box lends you someone like Tony Mandarich. Mandarich was the biggest can’t-miss prospect. He failed tremendously in the NFL.

Parsons is a sure thing and a field-tilter, which is something the Packers needed.

One of the flaws of the roster that Gutekunst has built is that he has a lot of good players. That’s especially true on defense. Clark, Rashan Gary, Evan Williams and Devonte Wyatt are good players. Were any of them great a season ago?

The answer to that question is no.

The closest thing Green Bay’s defense had to someone that tilts the field in their direction is safety Xavier McKinney. McKinney is coming off a career year in which he was first-team All-Pro for the first time after intercepting eight passes. What is the likelihood that McKinney repeats that performance? He’s a great player, but the odds are against that.

Parsons is that level of player. They have not had a truly dominant pass rusher since Clay Matthews was in the prime of his career. Matthews, as great as he was, never was consistently the level of player Parsons has proven to be throughout his career.

As good as Gary is, Parsons had 12 sacks last season. The worst year of his career is better than Gary’s best season.

By extension, Parsons’ presence will make the rest of the defense better. With more focus on him, that will free up opportunities for players like Gary, Van Ness and Wyatt.

A more productive pass rush could also help the Packers solve some of the questions that are facing them in the secondary.

Yes, losing Clark hurts. He creates a void in the locker room and in the middle of the defense.

However, it looked like Clark’s best football was behind him after the least productive season of his career a season ago. With a ballooning salary-cap number, the Packers may have moved on from Clark at the end of the 2025 season, anyway.

Now, they are doing that a year early, but bringing a great player back to replace him who is younger and plays a more valuable position.

So, don’t waste your time worrying about picks that were lost and salary cap numbers.

This is Titletown. Banners fly forever in Titletown.

The Packers as previously constructed probably were not going to challenge for the crown in the NFC. With Parsons in the fold? He vaults them squarely into the Super Bowl conversation.

You cannot put a price on that.

This article first appeared on Green Bay Packers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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