The Packers made a big move to acquire Micah Parsons from the Cowboys, but does it make them a Super Bowl favorite?
The post Re-evaluating Packers’ Super Bowl chances after Micah Parsons trade with Cowboys appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Green Bay Packers shocked the football world on Thursday when they officially traded for Micah Parsons in a blockbuster deal with the Dallas Cowboys. A trade that started off as a harmless rumor over the last week or so is now reality, and the Packers’ expectations have changed now that the deal is done.
The Packers wasted no time extending Parsons and getting a contract done for the foreseeable future as a part of the Parsons deal, inking the star pass rusher to a four-year, $188 million deal making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in football and giving him a big raise from the deal that the Cowboys had offered him.
On the Cowboys side, Dallas is getting defensive tackle Kenny Clark and a pair of first-round picks back for Parsons, and Jerry Jones is confident that the Cowboys will be better for it and are built to win in the playoffs. Green Bay should feel the same now that it has added one of the best players in football at any position to its team.
Before this deal, it would have been hard even for the biggest Packers optimists to put them ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles as the favorites to come out of the NFC. Now? Matt LaFleur and company may have a claim to the top spot before Week 1 gets going.
Let’s dive into how the Packers stack up on both sides of the ball with Parsons in the fold.
Matt LaFleur gives Green Bay a high floor on offense
The Packers haven’t changed much on offense this offseason with the exception of the addition of Matthew Golden in the wide receiver room, but this group should improve just with a cleaner bill of health this coming season. Jordan Love was among a number of key players on this side of the ball to miss time due to injury.
Josh Jacobs is back and will anchor the running game once again, which is always a strength under LaFleur. Green Bay has some of the best and most diverse run designs in the league, and that should help it keep some balance once again.
At wide receiver, it is still a deep group that is looking for a star to emerge for the Packers. Christian Watson is going to miss the start of the season whole he comes back from injury, but Green Bay still has Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs to go along with Golden on the outside. All four are quality players, but it could get scary for opposing defenses if a star emerges.
The tight ends could be the stars of this offense that nobody sees coming. Both Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave are two of the most talented players at their positions in the entire league, and LaFleur should be trying to get them both even more involved in the offense on a weekly basis coming into 2025.
Add all of that to an offensive line that should be among the best in football with no real weak points once again, and you have a unit that has a very high floor.
Of course, the ceiling of this group will come down to Love, both health-wise and skill-wise. The former first-round pick is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL who has already established himself as a long-term starter in the league, but the question remains whether he can take another leap into the truly elite tier of signal callers in the league.
Micah Parsons gives Green Bay a difference-maker on defense
The Packers had a very good defense last season, even one of the best in the league if you go by EPA/play. However, they didn’t have a difference-maker like Parsons who could consistently create negative plays and turnovers. Now, they have just that.
Only seven teams had more sacks last season than the Packers, who finished with 45. They did that with a deep group of pass rushers, but none necessarily required extra attention from opposing teams like Parsons does. The addition of the former Cowboys star should open up one-on-one opportunities for the rest of the guys on the defensive line, including Rashan Gary.
Edgerrin Cooper emerged as a reliable option at linebacker for the Pack last season, while Quay Walker is seemingly a perennial breakout candidate coming into every season of his young career. At the very least, that is a solid linebacker duo in a league that doesn’t have a lot of high-level play at that position at the moment.
The secondary leaves a lot to be desired, especially at cornerback. Pro Bowl safety Xavier McKinney is the impact player in that room, but opposing teams will be able to target the Packers on the outside with Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon at corner following the departure of Jaire Alexander.
However, a great pass rush is the best way to help out a secondary that is a bit undermanned, so having Parsons on the field should help cover for that weakness somewhat. Regardless, that is the Achilles heel for this group coming into the season.
Overview
Overall, this move absolutely launches the Packers into Super Bowl contention. A team that probably needed a few breaks to go its way in order to not only win the NFC North, but make the Super Bowl, is now unquestionably right there with the Eagles as the two best teams in the conference coming into the season.
The Detroit Lions are in flux and are replacing both of their elite coordinators, so the Packers have a continuity edge and now have added the best pass rusher in football to their team. On paper at least, Green Bay comes into the season ahead of them after this deal.
Cowboys fans may want to cover their ears, but this trade absolutely makes the Packers one of the Super Bowl favorites. They are part of a small group coming in to the season and will need to prove it on the field on both sides of the ball, but it’s hard to overstate what adding a player like Parsons can do.
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Category: Football
