Micah Parsons
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Former 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis kept it real when discussing Micah Parsons landing with the Packers
The Green Bay Packers pulled off a massive blockbuster trade right before the start of the 2025 campaign, acquiring Micah Parsons in a deal with the Dallas Cowboys. While the Cowboys have been crucified for their handling of Parsons’ contract negotiations and their subsequent decision to trade him, the Packers have been praised for doing what it took to land a generational defensive talent.
However, not everyone is sold on Green Bay’s partnership with Parsons. If you ask former San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis, he questioned Parsons’ desire to land with the Packers and openly wondered how he will handle transitioning away from the Cowboys after he spent the first four seasons of his career playing for them.
Patrick Willis Isn’t Sold on Micah Parsons’ Fit with the Packers
Ever since getting selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Parsons has been one of the best defensive players in the league. During his first four seasons with the Cowboys, he’s racked up 52.5 sacks, which helped him earn four Pro Bowl and two All-Pro First Team selections, in addition to the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Once Dallas signaled that they were open to trading Parsons, Green Bay pounced and sent over a pair of first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. They quickly gave Parsons the deal he didn’t get from the Cowboys, as he signed a massive four-year, $186 million extension shortly after the trade was completed.
Typically, players don’t have much leverage in trades, but considering how whichever team traded for Parsons was going to have to sign him to a new extension, he had a bit more power in choosing where he played from. With that in mind, Willis cannot believe that Parsons decided to sign on with the Packers.
“Sometimes not all money is good money,” Willis said in an interview with RG.org. “I just remember playing (in Green Bay) and being like, ‘Man, this weather is like Buffalo.’ There ain’t nothing there. When we go there, we can only be in the hotel they have us staying in. You go from Dallas, where the world is at your fingertips — they love them some Cowboys … He’s not going to just want to spend his time just sitting in Green Bay with all that $180 million dollars.”
“I just know he’s a heck of a player, and I just didn’t see that in his personality to end up there. I’m like, ‘What? Green Bay of all the places you could have gone.’ As a defensive-minded guy, I can understand you want to go somewhere where you have a good quarterback on the other side, so I get it.”
Micah Parsons Looking to Make an Immediate Impact for the Packers
Micah Parsons, Packers
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons.
In Willis’ eyes, playing in Dallas is far more desirable than playing in Green Bay. The location, though, is only half the battle. Parsons’ relationship with the Cowboys was completely frayed, and it was clear that a split between the two sides was the best outcome for everybody involved. Plus, the Packers are one of the top rising teams in the NFC, and the addition of Parsons only makes them more dangerous.
Ahead of Week 1, Parsons is battling a back injury as he aims to take the field and make his debut for his new team. Regardless of when he suits up, the expectation is that Parsons is going to help take Green Bay’s defense to another level. The Packers will look to get off on the right foot in 2025 when they open the season with a clash against the Detroit Lions in Week 1.