Micah Parsons Was ‘Trying to Wreck Shop’ When Matt LaFleur Coached Pro Bowl

In 2021, the Green Bay Packers finished with the best record in the NFC but went one-and-done in the playoffs. As a consolation prize, Matt LaFleur got the equivalent of a rubber chicken.

He got to coach the Pro Bowl.

One of the players on the roster was Dallas Cowboys rookie Micah Parsons.

“My first exposure to Micah was at the Pro Bowl and I was really impressed by the guy,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday, a day after the team acquired Parsons in a blockbuster trade. “Matter of fact, we were joking about it, the majority of the players in the Pro Bowl – I think it’s well known, that’s why there’s not a Pro Bowl game anymore.

“The majority of the guys looked like they were going through the motions. Except for one guy.”

That guy, of course, was Parsons.

“And he was trying to wreck shop out there and he was trying to win.”

Parsons, who in 2021 was first-team All-Pro and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, had eight tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in the game. It was a snapshot into the person and the player, and Parsons added another glimpse when asked about it during his introductory news conference.

“You’ll realize as I’m here, I’m probably one of the most authentic person you’ll meet,” he said. “I’m probably going to say things I probably shouldn’t say off emotion and that’s just me. I’m going to do as I like because that’s just me. All I know is ‘go,’ and if I feel like you can’t be around me because you’re not on ‘go,’ too, we probably shouldn’t be friends or probably be in the same room, so I just don’t be around you.”

He said he’s got the “twisted mind” of an “elite” competitor.

“I grew up watching Sean Taylor in the Pro Bowls,” he continued. “I’m like, ‘We’re in pads. This is best on best. Let me see what I can do a little bit.’ So, that’s how I take it. All I know is ‘go,’ so if he [LaFleur] likes that, that means we’re just one and the same and that’s a good thing. That’s kind of what I figured of him and I’ve got a pretty high standard about him.”

When general manager Brian Gutekunst approached LaFleur about the potential of a trade, LaFleur was quickly onboard. “Heck year,” was his response.

“Having relationships with other coaches throughout the league that have worked with him, they’ll tell you this guy’s the ultimate competitor,” LaFleur said. “And whatever it is you’re playing, he’s going to want to win, and I don’t think he’s very apologetic about that, which is so exciting as a coach to get a guy like that and I think that just elevates everybody around him.” 

Parsons, who will be the only player in franchise history other than Curly Lambeau to wear a No. 1 jersey, will see some familiar faces on the practice field on Monday. His agent is David Mulugheta, who represents five members of the Packers, including quarterback Jordan Love and safety Xavier McKinney.

While Parsons and Love had talked of playing together, it seemed like a preposterous notion. Love had signed a long-term extension with the Packers and Parsons would sign one with the Cowboys.

Except he didn’t. Talks stalled and Parsons asked for a trade. Four weeks later, as he was leaving the Cowboys’ facility after treatment, he got his wish. He had been traded to Green Bay, which made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

“I don’t think it was ever a serious conversation [with Love], because, like many of us, I never thought I’d be traded. But that’s the harsh reality,” Parsons said. “But me and Jordan, we super-close, I would say.

“Obviously having the same agent, me and Jordan have been together in Dubai and through the podcast, Super Bowl weekend, so we’ve got a very good relationship. He’s someone that I know we’re very competitive when we’re around each other, so I know what type of quarterback he is. I’m very fond of Jordan, too, just about the quarterback he is and what he can be and how he just keeps getting better.”

Parsons has one other connection to Green Bay. Left tackle Rasheed Walker was teammates with Parsons at Penn State. Those matchups made them better.

“Very competitive,” Walker said last week. “Sh**, I got the best of him. Very competitive, though.”

After learning he had been traded, he reached out to Walker. Their conversation put his mind at ease. Parsons’ family had relocated to Dallas, so the impact ran deeper than his career.

“I got to talk to Rasheed a little bit,” Parsons said. “That’s my guy. He’s from Penn State, came in together. He’s like, ‘It’s like Penn State. It’s like home. It’s like a brotherhood. It’s safe. You focus on ball and you keep everything the right thing.’ It kind of gave me comfort and it kind of gave me a better decision like, ‘OK, this is a place where I feel like I can take my next step and continue to have a great legacy here.’”