Micah

Parsons

The “poison pill” clause was specifically intended to block Green Bay from trading Parsons to the Eagles, who previously made offers for the star defender. The Packers, in turn, used the same clause on Kenny Clark, who cannot be traded to an NFC North team. As Schefter notes, this addendum to the trade was kept quiet until teams noticed both teams’ 2028 first-round picks were unavailable ahead of the trade deadline. Parsons was never likely to end up in Philly, given how much the Packers paid to land him and the $188 million contract he got from Green Bay. The poison pill clause was simply put in there to help Jerry Jones sleep at night.

The Packers’ vaunted defense will have its new star pass rusher on the field. Unfortunately, the Packers declared CB Bo Melton, S Zayne Anderson, RT Zach Tom (oblique), LG Aaron Banks (ankle/groin), TE Ben Sims and DL Warren Brinson inactive. Losing both Tom and Banks hurts Jordan Love’s protection. It would be unsurprising to see the Packers dial up quick-hitting pass plays to help reduce pressure from Washington’s pass rush. On the plus side, Packers CB Nate Hobbs (knee) is active.

Parsons played on 30 of the Packers’ 67 defensive snaps last week. We expect him to suit up for Week 2, while hopefully increasing his snap count a bit. He produced one sack and generated a 27.3 percent pass-rush win rate. He should continue to impact the game, even if he remains on a snap count.

It was a walk-thru, so this is an estimation. Parsons will surely play a small package in Week 2 after his successful debut against the Lions in Week 1. It will likely be more of the same against Washington on Thursday night.

This was always the expectation for Parsons, though NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported this morning that he will likely be on a pitch count. Parsons is a game-changer even on limited snaps, so that shouldn’t be much of a concern for Packers fans. Inactive for the Packers are CB Nate Hobbs, S Zayne Anderson, OL Donovan Jennings, TE Ben Sims, DL Warren Brinson, and DL Barryn Sorrell.

The good news is that Parson is expected to play through his back injury. The fact that he will play a part-time role isn’t at all surprising. Parsons joined the Packers a little over a week ago and has seen limited work in practice because of his back injury. It makes sense for him to take the field for obvious pass-rush situations and get a breather versus the run. Part-time player or not, Parsons is set to turn the Packers’ defense from good to elite in 2025.

He got in a third straight limited session on Friday. Most sourced reports expect Parsons to play, but it’s possible he’ll have a limited role in Week 1 as he acclimates to his new team and deals with the back injury. Green Bay would certainly like him available for passing downs in a must-win against the defending division champions.

Rapoport relayed his source’s info, saying, Parsons’ facet sprain is something he “needs to take some medicine for” and that an “epidural could potentially await him if he keeps having problems with it.” Shot or not, Parsons is all but guaranteed to be on the field when the Packers host the Lions on Sunday. The Packers face Parsons’ former Cowboys squad in Week 4, and play the Browns in Week 3. The Packers’ D/ST could be a high-scoring unit, racking up sacks aplenty both weeks.

We do not yet know Parsons’ participation level, but it sounds like he is on track to play against the Lions in Week 1. It would be unsurprising to see him be restricted to some sort of snap count. The Packers have Super Bowl aspirations, and they’ll want to safely ramp up their well-paid superstar to preserve his health for the stretch run. Packers CB Nate Hobbs (knee) returned to practice in a limited capacity.

Parsons was ultimately traded to Green Bay for a pair of first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark. Try as they might, Philly was never going to pry Parsons from Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. As Schefter points out, the Cowboys were not going to trade him within the division, let alone to the reigning Super Bowl champions. While they were unable to land Parsons, the Eagles could be in the market for a premier EDGE when the trade deadline rolls around.