Differences between Green Bay and Dallas? Well, it’s colder in Lambeau Field, so there’s one. Is the Packers’ locker room caring more about winning than the Cowboys’ locker room another difference?
“I’ve never been in a locker room with guys like this,” Packers superstar defensive end Micah Parsons said in a press conference on Thursday, according to the Packers’ team website. “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.”
Green Bay acquired Parsons from Dallas in a blockbuster trade last week, as the Packers sent defensive tackle and three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark and two future first-round draft picks to the Cowboys for Parsons. As part of the trade, Parsons signed a four-year, $186 million extension with the Packers, with the $46.5 million average annual salary being an NFL record for a non-quarterback.
Last season, Parsons totaled 12.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and 43 combined tackles in 13 games; he missed four games due to an ankle injury. Parsons ranked fourth among edge defenders with a 91.6 pass-rush grade, sixth with a 90.0 overall grade and 72nd with a 65.5 run-defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Parsons, a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has posted 12-plus sacks in each of his four seasons in the sport.
All that said, when Parsons will make his Packers debut is in question, as he’s recovering from a back injury that could reportedly require him taking an epidural injection before games. Green Bay opens its 2025 regular season at home against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The Packers have made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons but haven’t won the NFC North since 2021.
As for Parsons’ former employer, the Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. In each of Parsons’ first three seasons in Dallas, the franchise won 12 games, including NFC East titles in 2021 and 2023. At the same time, the Cowboys went 1-3 in the postseason during Parsons’ four-year stint with the team (2021-24).
The Cowboys host Parsons and the Packers in Week 4.
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