When the Green Bay Packers opened the season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, it also meant that Micah Parsons would be making his debut. The star pass rusher who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 28 and many wondered how he would be used, what the health of his back would be and how much he would play against the Lions.
It turns out that Parsons needed just one play to make his presence felt and it could be a game-changer for the Packers’ defense in 2025.
Micah Parsons Bulldozes All-Pro Tackle Penei Sewell in Packers Debut
Parsons took the field for the Packers on third down of Detroit's first drive. When Jared Goff snapped the ball, Parsons went to work, swimming past Lions All-Pro Penei Sewell and into Goff’s shadow, forcing the quarterback to roll out and dump the ball to running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The play went from possible drive-extender to drive-ender, all thanks to Parsons' pressure.
This is exactly what Packers fans envisioned when they traded for Parsons. Green Bay was sixth in points allowed and 10th with 45 sacks last season. But they lacked consistency in the pass rush, ranking 16th with a 22.1% pressure rate last season.
While Parsons can't make up for that by himself, he can go a long way toward improving those numbers. The Penn State product racked up 52.5 sacks and a 19% pressure rate during his first four seasons with the Cowboys and quickly established himself as one of the most feared pass-rushers in football.
Even when he was embroiled in a nasty contract dispute with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, many believed he would eventually sign with Dallas due his elite ability to get to the quarterback. Jones chose run defense and draft picks instead and the Packers swooped in to make the deal and gave Parsons an average of $47 million per season in a four-year contract extension.
Parsons figures to be a big part of the Green Bay pass rush and it’s not hard to see why. If he does what he did in his first play in a Packers uniform, it won’t take long to get a return on their investment and a new wrinkle in what was already a solid defense.