The Green Bay Packers Believe Micah Parsons Can Become Reggie White 2.0

It was April 6, 1993, and the football world was flipped upside down with one of the most stunning moves in years.

Defensive end Reggie White, known as “The Minister of Defense”, was arguably the most attractive player to ever reach the free agent market. And most considered it a foregone conclusion that White would sign somewhere, anywhere other than tiny Green Bay.

Instead, White sent shockwaves through the league and signed a four-year, $17 million deal with the Packers. At the time, that made White football’s third-highest paid player.

Less than four years later, White and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI.

“Everyone thought the last place he would sign was Green Bay,” then-Packers president Bob Harlan said. “And it was monumental.”

On Thursday, the Packers — one of the NFL’s most conservative franchises — made their most shocking acquisition since that day more than 32 years ago.

Green Bay sent a pair of first round draft choices — one in both 2026 and 2027 — as well as veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas for edge rush extraordinaire Micah Parsons.

Parsons, who was in a lengthy contract stalemate with the Cowboys, then signed a new four-year, $188 million contract with Green Bay that includes $136 million in guarantees.

That deal makes Parsons the highest-paid non quarterback in NFL history.

Now, Green Bay is hoping Parsons can take them to the next level like White did a generation ago.

“Players make impacts. There’s no doubt,” Packers general manager Gutekunst said on Wednesday. “You win and lose games because of players, right? These are the guys that do it.”

The parallels between White and Parsons are eerily similar.

White had compiled a whopping 114 sacks in his first eight NFL seasons when he signed with Green Bay. White was a perfect 8-for-8 in Pro Bowl appearances, was named first-team All-Pro six times and was the NFL’s sack leader twice.

“Reggie may have been best player I’ve ever seen,” Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said of White.

Parsons has made a similar impact since entering the league as the 12^th pick of the 2021 draft.

Parsons has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. He was also the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, a two-time first-team all-Pro in 2021 and 2022, and a second-team all-Pro in 2023.

Parsons is just the second player in NFL history with at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons. Interestingly, the other player to accomplish that is White.

Parsons has 52.5 career sacks, nine forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 172 tackles and nine passes defensed.

The major difference is Parsons is just 26, while White was 31 when he came to Green Bay.

“When you talk about me, I don’t want to just be mentioned in the Hall of Fame,” Parsons said in 2023. “Yeah, that’s a great accolade, but I want to be one of the greatest in the Hall of Fame.”

White certainly became that player, thanks in part to six sensational seasons in Green Bay.

White posted 68.5 sacks and made six consecutive Pro Bowls as a Packer. He was named first- or second-team All-Pro each of his six years in Green Bay, was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1998 and the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1995.

White gave teeth to a Green Bay defense in dire need of some bite. The year before White arrived, the Packers ranked 23^rd in total defense. Green Bay jumped to second in White’s first season and was in the top-eight during five of his six years in Titletown.

More importantly, White was also an enormous factor in Green Bay winning one Super Bowl, reaching another, and playing in three NFC Championship games during his time.

To this day, Packer Nation could spend hours arguing if general manager Ron Wolf, coach Mike Holmgren, quarterback Brett Favre or White played the greatest role in Green Bay’s rise to greatness during the 1990s. The truth is, the Packers needed all four men to become champions.

“You can argue all day about what the biggest move was,” Wolf said.” But in some order, it’s Mike, Brett and Reggie.”

White joined a Green Bay team that was 9-7 the year before he arrived. Those Packers were trending upward, though, and White eventually helped them achieve greatness.

Parsons is entering a similar situation, joining a team that was the NFC’s No. 7 seed each of the last two seasons.

Green Bay went 10-9 (including playoffs) in 2023 and 11-7 a year ago. The Packers have the NFL’s youngest roster for a third straight year, a group of young, gifted players that might need a game-wrecker to get them over the hump.

Green Bay believes Parsons will be that player.

“He’s a hell of a player,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said one day before the trade was made. “He’s a hell of a player.”

Perhaps the kind that can take Green Bay to the promised land, just like White did three decades ago.