In one fell swoop, after acquiring All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers have cemented their status as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.
Just ask those inside the league, and they’ll paint an optimistic picture both of Parson’s impact as well as Green Bay’s ceiling this season.
“They’re Super Bowl contenders now,” an AFC scout told me, on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about the trade.
Adding a dominant edge rusher with Parsons’ traits, and the fact that he’s coming off a 2024 season in which he posted 70 quarterback pressures, automatically raises the ceiling for a roster as deep and talented as the Packers’.
Packers rise up NFL preseason power rankings
Micah Parsons vs Green Bay Packers
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) tackles Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) in the first half of the 2024 NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Over at NFL Media, Eric Edholm is bullish on the Packers as Green Bay’s season opener against the Detroit Lions looms.
Edholm has the Packers ranked No. 6 in the NFL, up two spots from before general manager Brian Gutekunst pried Parsons away from the Cowboys.
“I was on Wisconsin radio this summer,” Edholm writes of the Packers. “And when they asked me about the Packers’ roster, I told them I liked it, that there was a good distribution of talent, but that it lacked true blue-chip players. Trading for Micah Parsons on the eve of the season is a pretty good way to shut me up. And after the team just drafted a first-round receiver in Green Bay? These are some very uncharacteristic moves for this franchise that have the feel of a confident front office.
“You make moves such as these when the picture is nearing completion — and when the competition is thickest, as it is in the NFC North. And boy, that puts the target squarely on Jordan Love. But it’s hard not to love what Green Bay has suddenly assembled if a few things come together. Losing Kenny Clark is tough, but Parsons is a singular defender who will elevate the team, possibly even in Reggie White-like fashion, as long as his back injury doesn’t become a problem.”
There is a very real possibility that Parsons is the missing piece of the Packers’ Super Bowl puzzle in 2025, and his presence on coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense has the potential to alter the trajectory of the franchise in the seasons ahead.
Green Bay Packers, Micah Parsons
Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons speaks during an introductory press conference on Friday, August 29, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers made a trade with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 28 to acquire Parsons in exchange for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first round picks.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin