Defensive end Micah Parsons has been a member of the Packers for a week and that’s long enough for him to pick up on a significant difference between his current team and his former one.
Parsons has been dealing with a back injury that has limited him in practice this week and he said coming in for treatment on a day off was an eye-opener about his new teammates.
“I’ve never been in a locker room with guys like this,” Parsons said in a Thursday press conference. “I came in Tuesday for treatment and I saw like almost every guy in the locker room. I said, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever seen this.’ That just shows how much these guys want to be here.”
Parsons joked that the attendance might be related to having not much else to do in Green Bay before adding that it is “important to have guys that want to come into the building” because it makes him excited to come to work. There’s plenty of excitement around the Packers about Parsons being part of the team as well, especially since the back issue is not expected to keep him from making his debut in Sunday’s NFC North matchup with the Lions.
Yes, Packers linebacker Micah Parsons has been limited in practice the past two days with the back injury that became the battleground for his final days in Dallas. No, he’s not expected to miss the game.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Parsons is trending toward playing. He’s currently not expected to require an epidural injection in order to play.
While his workload has yet to be determined, expect Parsons — fundamentally a pass rusher — to play in obvious passing situations against the Lions in an out-of-the gates showdown in what was once known as the “black and blue” division. Anything other than full participation will be less about the injury and more about not knowing the playbook when his assignment is anything other than “get to the quarterback.”
And, yes, the back injury was real. But, no, it wouldn’t have kept him from practicing or playing for the Cowboys, if he had the financial security that came from a long-term contract. He carried the injury risk, and the back condition created enough of a risk of injury to justify not exposing Parsons to an aggravation that could have caused him to miss extended time in a contract year.
The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers last week. They haven’t lost the support of his mother, however.
Sherese Parsons is attending the Cowboys’ season opener against the Eagles on Thursday night, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports. Sherese Parsons is wearing Cowboys’ “apparel,” per Garafolo, but it’s unclear if she’s in a Parsons’ jersey.
It also isn’t clear why Sherese Parsons is at the game, a week after the trade of her son to the Packers. Perhaps she had already booked her travel and decided to go anyway.
She shared a long conversation with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at the team’s final preseason game almost two weeks ago.
After Parsons signed his four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers, he posted a video celebrating with his mom on his Instagram story. Parsons wrote, “That moment when [your] momma never got to work again!”
Sherese celebrated 25 years of employment at United Concordia Dental in March. She told WFAA during a February interview that her son kept trying to get her to quit her job, but she said a decision about that was “up in the air.”
Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, who also is the agent for Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, also is attending the game.
In his introductory news conference after the trade from Dallas last week, Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons said he expected to play in the season opener.
“They didn’t give up what they gave up for me to sit on the sidelines,” Parsons said.
It seems likely then that Parsons plays in Sunday’s opener against the Lions with the only question: How much will he play? Parsons, though, said Thursday he will leave his availability to the coaches and medical staff.
“I know once I get out there, I’m just going to want to go,” Parsons said, via Ryan Wood of packersnews.com. “That was the first thing, they were just like, ‘We’ve got to see how your body is.’ Because at the same time, I do have to get healthy. I do have to do all those little things to make sure there’s a longevity piece in this. It is 18 weeks. There is hopes for a playoff run, and a long playoff run, so we have to make sure about that and making sure everything is good to go.”
Parsons has practiced all three days this week but was limited as he gets back into football shape while trying to not overextend a back injury.
Coach Matt LaFleur said Parsons’ reps have increased each practice. LaFleur said he is hopeful for Parsons’ availability but conceded there are “no guarantees.”
Parsons said he tweaked his back while lifting during training camp while he was holding in. The Cowboys’ medical staff prescribed a steroid pack, which he completed, and he underwent an MRI on Aug. 23 that coach Brian Schottenheimer said was “pretty clean.”
Reports this week indicated that Parsons could need an epidural for a facet joint sprain in his L4/L5 vertebrae. Parsons is unsure whether he will need an injection, saying steroids have been beneficial.
“It honestly just helps it get stronger,” Parsons said. “That’s all it is. It’s a weak joint, right? If something is weak, it helps it get stronger faster. Obviously, when you mix that in with treatment and the technology that we have, it makes things get better a lot faster. So let me just keep finishing the treatment and see what the coaches [think]. I’ve been trying to practice hard with the reps that they gave me on the ramp up. See what their plan is for me this game and see how they’re planning to unleash me.”
Parsons missed four games last season with a high-ankle sprain, the first games in his career he has missed for injury.
The start of the 2025 NFL season is finally here!
With the Cowboys and Eagles kicking things off in a marquee matchup Thursday night on NBC and Peacock, the Rotoworld staffers are ready with their crystal ball predictions for the league’s top individual awards, the playoffs, and the Super Bowl.
The 2025 NFL season begins and ends on NBC and Peacock, with the Kickoff Game taking place 157 days before Super Bowl LX from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on February 8. Click here to subscribe to Peacock and follow all the NFL action all season long!
Kyle Dvorchak 🔮🏈
AFC Playoff Field: Bills, Chargers, Ravens, Jaguars, Chiefs, Patriots, Broncos
NFC Playoff Field: Commanders, Falcons, Packers, 49ers, Eagles, Bucs, Lions
Super Bowl Matchup: Commanders vs. Bills
Super Bowl Champ: Bills
MVP: Jayden Daniels
Offensive Player of the Year: CeeDee Lamb
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Emeka Egbuka
Defensive Rookie of the Year: James Pearce Jr.
Protector of the Year: Joe Alt
Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey
Coach of the Year: Raheem Morris
Kyle Dvorchak’s Bold Prediction: Trevor Lawrence is finally the prince who is promised. Travis Hunter is the two-way phenom that haters said was impossible at the NFL level and Brian Thomas Jr. breaks out to the point that he is the unquestioned 1.01 in 2026 fantasy drafts. The Chiefs easily dispatch Jacksonville in the Wild Card Round.
Patrick Daugherty 🔮🏈
AFC Playoff Field: Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Texans, Bengals, Broncos, Jaguars
NFC Playoff Field: Eagles, Packers, Rams, Bucs, Lions, 49ers, Seahawks
Super Bowl Matchup: Chiefs vs. Lions
Super Bowl Champ: Chiefs
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs
Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Cam Ward
Defensive Rookie of the Year: James Pearce
Protector of the Year: Penei Sewell
Comeback Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson
Coach of the Year: DeMeco Ryans
Patrick Daugherty’s Bold Prediction: After riding Jayden Daniels’ coattails to massive 2024 overachievement, the Commanders take a step backward to 7-10. An undermanned skill corps and lack of Kliff Kingsbury adjustments are to blame.
Denny Carter 🔮🏈
AFC Playoff Field: Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens, Raiders, Jaguars, Broncos
NFC Playoff Field: Eagles, Commanders, Niners, Lions, Packers, Bucs, Falcons
Super Bowl Matchup: Eagles vs. Chiefs
Super Bowl Champ: Eagles
MVP: Joe Burrow
Offensive Player of the Year: JaMarr Chase
Defensive Player of the Year: Jared Verse
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Travis Hunter
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter
Protector of the Year: Penei Sewell
Comeback Player of the Year: Dak Prescott
Coach of the Year: Aaron Glenn
Denny Carter’s Bold Prediction: Joe Burrow breaks Peyton Manning‘s record (55) for most passing touchdowns in a season.
Eric Samulski 🔮🏈
AFC Playoff Field: Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, Jaguars, Chargers, Bengals, Broncos
NFC Playoff Field: Eagles, Lions, Falcons, 49ers, Packers, Vikings, Seahawks
Super Bowl Matchup: Bills vs. Lions
Super Bowl Champ: Bills (yes, finally)
MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs
Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Travis Hunter
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter
Protector of the Year: Trent Williams
Comeback Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson
Coach of the Year: Sean McDermott
Eric Samulski’s Bold Prediction: Second-year wideout Keon Coleman will have over 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns to help the Bills get to the promised land.
There was no change in status for Packers defensive end Micah Parsons in Thursday’s practice.
Head coach Matt LaFleur said at his press conference that Parsons remained a limited participant because of the back injury he’s been dealing with for several weeks. LaFleur said on Wednesday that the team is hopeful that Parsons can play against the Lions and reiterated that on Thursday while adding that there are “no guarantees.”
“I think he was able to do what we had planned for him today,” LaFleur said. “He’s doing a good job with that.”
LaFleur said that Parsons is progressing in terms of his reps since joining the team in a trade with the Cowboys last week, but that how Parsons is “going to feel” after doing the work is going to determine the plan for Friday and Sunday.
The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers last week, but Green Bay reportedly had company when it came to making a call about acquiring the defensive end this summer.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Eagles made a “strong play” to acquire Parsons before his eventual trade. The particulars of their offer were not included in the report, but Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman has not been shy about trying to make big moves in order to keep his team at the top of the NFC.
Whatever the details might have been, the Cowboys were not interested in trading Parsons to an NFC East team that they have to play twice every season. The first of this season’s meetings comes in Thursday night’s season-opening game in Philadelphia.
Having Parsons in an Eagles uniform would have only added to the intrigue of a game that was already guaranteed to have the singular attention of the football world. The Cowboys will now wait to see Parsons in their Week 4 game against the Packers while the Eagles will try for another Super Bowl title without his help.
Micah Parsons made his first appearance on a Packers injury report on Wednesday.
Parsons was listed as limited due to the back injury that the defensive end brought with him from Dallas in last week’s trade. A report this week indicated that Parsons is dealing with a facet joint sprain in his back and may need a painkilling injection to play against the Lions on Sunday.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t delve into details, but said at his Wednesday press conference that Parsons is doing what he can in order to play.
“We’ll see. He’s doing everything in his power,” LaFleur said. “He’s rehabbing hard. We’ve gotta get through a couple practices to see how he responds, how he does, but certainly hopeful.”
Quarterback Jordan Love was a full participant as he remains on track to play after having left thumb surgery in August.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed (foot) and cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) did not participate on Wednesday. Safety Zayne Anderson (knee), center Elgton Jenkins (hip), defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell (knee), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (calf), and wide receiver Savion Williams (calf) were limited participants.
One thing became abundantly clear during the Cowboys’ failed effort to keep linebacker Micah Parsons in Dallas.
Owner and G.M. Jerry Jones has zero regard, or respect, for the agents who represent his players.
It wasn’t a new development. But it was never more obvious than it was over the past several months, when Jones believed he had directly negotiated a new deal with Parsons, and when Jones expected Parsons to honor the terms of the supposed handshake deal.
From Jones’s feigned ignorance as to the name of Parsons’s agent to Jones’s repeated comments relegating the role of agent to bystander at best to the process of getting deals done, it was clear that Jones was violating the letter and spirit of the CBA, which delegates to certified representatives the exclusive right to negotiate with individual teams on behalf of the league’s many players — except when the player chooses to represent himself.
As the Parsons situation reached full boil, the NFL Players Association remained silent. In his first interview since becoming the NFLPA’s interim executive director, David White was asked about the union’s position on Jerry’s labor-practice proclivities.
“We intend to enforce every provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when we think that there may be a violation,” White told Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “And the best way to do that is to call people and say: ‘Knock it off.’ When both sides are able to do that, when needed, that usually makes for a productive management-labor relationship. When it doesn’t work, for whatever reason, that’s when you take it to the next level, which is to file a grievance to go to court, or to take whatever action is available to you under the [CBA].”
The response suggests that the NFLPA told Jones and the Cowboys to, in White’s words, “Knock it off.” And while the situation ended with Parsons being traded before Jerry could try (again) to work things out directly with Parsons, it was clear during last Thursday night’s press conference that Jones fully intends to keep negotiating directly with players.
Here’s the problem: The current CBA is toothless when it comes to punishing owners who try to cut the agent out of the process. The punishment for the first offense is no punishment at all. For each and every violation after that, it’s the same five-figure fine. (Currently, $62,000.)
Players are routinely subjected to progressive discipline. The goal is to increase the consequences in order to incentivize compliance. That concept hasn’t been applied to the NFL’s teams, when it comes to this specific infraction.
So, yeah, he’ll keep doing it. And if/when the NFLPA files a grievance, he’ll write the check and keep doing what he does.
That won’t change until the CBA does.
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said in August that the team is open to trading premium draft picks for players currently in the league and the Patriots have ample cap space, so it’s no surprise that some would wonder whether they tried to trade for Micah Parsons before Dallas sent him to Green Bay last week.
Head coach Mike Vrabel fielded questions about that during an appearance on The Greg Hill Show on WEEI on Tuesday morning. Vrabel said a Parsons trade “wasn’t something that we really invested a lot of time or resources in” and that “we have to build some depth there to this roster, and you do that from the draft.”
That led to another question about whether a run of poor drafts in recent years impacted their willingness to make a deal involving first-round picks at this time.
“No,” Vrabel said. “I’m just saying that when we build this thing, and moving forward, we want to build it and make sure that we’re building through the draft. And then again, like I said, retaining the players that we feel like have developed and have earned contracts. And while Micah Parsons is a great player, just probably wasn’t the best fit or the right time, I think, for us.”
Parsons will be lining up with the Packers while Vrabel and Wolf try to find and develop players who can have a similar impact on the game in the years to come.
