The Parson's Trade: How to Become a Basement Dweller

[easyk83]

Discussion is welcome gents and ladies, and yes hindsight is 20/20... But the decision to acquire Micah Parsons was asinine then almost as much as it is now. In short good teams build, bad teams buy and the worst franchises get there by chasing after overvalued superstars. We sent Kenny Clark to Dallas after the June deadline and sucked in $17M of dead cap, and tied up a tremendous amount of salary and multiple draft picks into one player who even if available would not be able to cover up this team's biggest holes.

The Packers entered this season without a first round draft pick, are paying $36 million in 2026 cap space between Parsons contract and Clark's dead money. Our offensive line ranks last in the league in pass protection and Jordan Love is getting hit a dozen times a game. We made space by letting a pro bowl guard go in Elgton Jenkins who Id rate as one of the most versatile OLs that Ive ever watched. Next year's first rounder, perhaps a top 5, I'm sure will benefit the New York Jets.

As for this franchise's glaring weaknesses, forget free agency. Next year Parsons' cap hit climbs from about to $42 million in 2028 and $74 million in 2029. By then he'll be 29, two years past knee reconstruction. This deal has become a wrecking ball, this is the method of the Dan Snyder Redskins and the late tenure Al Davis Raiders.

Anywho, is yours truly opposed to free agency or trades, of course not. But what you want are the mid tier guys, the guys who might up their game in a different environment.

 

[BrokenArrow]

I think you're putting way too much on Parsons here. The Packers having a struggling offensive line doesn't suddenly make trading for an elite pass rusher a bad move. Those are two separate roster problems.

And the first-round pick isn't some unexpected consequence of the Parsons trade. Green Bay chose to spend that pick on Parsons because they thought an elite edge rusher was worth it, and you would be hard pressed to find a GM that would disagree. You can argue they paid too much, but that's different from saying the trade "ruined" the roster.

Same with the Clark dead cap. That's a consequence of moving on from Clark and the way his contract was structured, not something Parsons caused. Clark had a big dropoff the previous year and they were likely looking to move him somehow anyway.

A lot of your argument also depends on assuming the worst possible future scenario. Yes, Parsons has some enormous cap numbers down the road, but NFL contracts get restructured all the time. Those numbers aren't necessarily what the Packers will actually be carrying against the cap in those years.

And Parsons isn't some depreciating asset that Green Bay is stuck with forever. He's an elite, 27-year-old pass rusher. If the Packers ever decide they don't want the contract, he's likely to retain substantial trade value for years.

If you want to argue that Green Bay paid too much for Parsons, that's one thing. But saying the guy has already "wrecked" the Packers based on projected cap numbers, hypothetical draft position, and problems that existed independently of him is a pretty big leap.

 

[easyk83]

Oh I'm not putting anything on Parsons, he's a tremendous player. It's that the overall capital invested in securing him, both picks and salary, make it that much harder to address the teams structural weaknesses. This would be true even if he was completely healthy and putting up 15 sacks a year.

I am putting this entirely on the front office and Gutekunst in particular.

 

[OldSchool101]

I agree. So because Parsons had an injury he’s suddenly a bad trade? I don’t buy that. I’d trade for him all over again in a do over.

Kenny Clark has been very pedestrian since that trade btw.

 

[easyk83]

I agree. So because Parsons had an injury he’s suddenly a bad trade? I don’t buy that. I’d trade for him all over again in a do over.

Kenny Clark has been very pedestrian since that trade btw.

No I think it was a bad trade even if he stayed healthy and produced at an elite level. His injury highlights the risk of putting that much capital into one player.

 

[Zartan]

If he played Thursday the OL was still very bad. The Pack still got lots of draft picks just not a 1st round. The failure of OL has zero to do with the Parsons trade.

Id still make the trade today, we cannot predict the future afterwards. There were still draft picks Gute could have grabbed an OL piece.

 

[DoURant]

They drafted a 5th rounder in Burton, who was underwhelming in his first start on Thursday, but I think consensus had the Packers drafting/needing a CB with their 2nd rd pick... we all saw how terrible their CB's play was last year. This team had a few question marks going into the draft, CB, DT, OL, not to mention another pass rusher, with knowing Parsons would be starting on the IR. They addressed all of those needs with their first 4 picks, and I don't remember anyone complaining who they drafted, after the draft was completed.

I'm sure the Packers brass, along with all of us, were really counting on the young guys development to be far better than it has shown thus far. This is why I think the failure is attributed to a coaching issue, vs the actual personnel they have.

Furthermore, the Vikings blitzing extremely heavy in that 2nd half, put the blue print out on how to game plan vs the Packers offense. All 3 games this year they have seen heavy, heavy blitz packages, and until they solve how to combat that, it should continue from every opponent moving forward.

 

[milani]

They drafted a 5th rounder in Burton, who was underwhelming in his first start on Thursday, but I think consensus had the Packers drafting/needing a CB with their 2nd rd pick... we all saw how terrible their CB's play was last year. This team had a few question marks going into the draft, CB, DT, OL, not to mention another pass rusher, with knowing Parsons would be starting on the IR. They addressed all of those needs with their first 4 picks, and I don't remember anyone complaining who they drafted, after the draft was completed.

I'm sure the Packers brass, along with all of us, were really counting on the young guys development to be far better than it has shown thus far. This is why I think the failure is attributed to a coaching issue, vs the actual personnel they have.

Furthermore, the Vikings blitzing extremely heavy in that 2nd half, put the blue print out on how to game plan vs the Packers offense. All 3 games this year they have seen heavy, heavy blitz packages, and until they solve how to combat that, it should continue from every opponent moving forward.

Actually, the Falcons were so confident that they began just sending 4 and daring Love to find anyone. It resulted in 25 incompletions.

 

[gopkrs]

After the 1st 4 picks I was bummed he didn't take a guard. I just didn't think they would. Why complain? And he would have taken a tackle anyway that he hoped would be able to play anywhere on the line. Hahaha. Problem is, he hits on a few but he is not a good talent evaluator. Which is what his job is. I don't want to see him picking this next year. We can turn it quickly around with good picks and 2 free agents imho. But I don't want him to do either.

 

[DoURant]

Actually, the Falcons were so confident that they began just sending 4 and daring Love to find anyone. It resulted in 25 incompletions.

I also read the Falcons had 18 pressures.

 

[easyk83]

I agree. So because Parsons had an injury he’s suddenly a bad trade? I don’t buy that. I’d trade for him all over again in a do over.

Kenny Clark has been very pedestrian since that trade btw.

He's sucking up a career high of double teams, 47.8 percent of his snaps. That's a man's work.

 

[milani]

I also read the Falcons had 18 pressures.

Right. Less than the Vikings I believe. And better results yet. The Jets had no game changers on their team. They were bad and our D was able to equal them.

 

[easyk83]

A young inexperienced hroup

Actually, the Falcons were so confident that they began just sending 4 and daring Love to find anyone. It resulted in 25 incompletions.

Right twists and stunts were highly effective.

Which silver lining is better than guys just getting crumpled and beat, this is a failure than can be coached up.

 

[milani]

A young inexperienced hroup


Right twists and stunts were highly effective.

Which silver lining is better than guys just getting crumpled and beat, this is a failure than can be coached up.

Not that easy, Easy. Squeezing blood out of a turnip.

 

[Scotland Yard]

The Parsons trade all but guaranteed that Gute & MLF would get contract extensions at season's end.

It worked. The consequences of cap hell or lost 1st round picks down the road are meaningless to a couple guys who just filled up their bank accounts with millions of $.

No kidding, I honestly believe that is how it went down.

 

[OldSchool101]

No I think it was a bad trade even if he stayed healthy and produced at an elite level. His injury highlights the risk of putting that much capital into one player.

I’m actually one that’s been a proponent of spreading resources in the past. However players like Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald or Micah Parsons only come along once in a generation. You jump on that deal and TWICE on Sunday.

Funny I didn’t hear 1 person saying Micah was a bad trade last year. I think You wait until a player is injured to pile on out of frustration for things completely out of Parsons control.

While I don’t blame people for exercising their right to be upset over a string of losses etc. I also don’t think it’s a
Fire Matt
Fire Love
Fire Gutey
Fire Ed Policy
Fire Jacobs
Fire Zach BB
FIRE The OC
Fire the OL
Fire the DL
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire.

I guess we live in a society that promotes divorce. Irreconcilable differences!

 

[easyk83]

I’m actually one that’s been a proponent of spreading resources in the past. However players like Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald or Micah Parsons only come along once in a generation. You jump on that deal and TWICE on Sunday.

Funny I didn’t hear 1 person saying Micah was a bad trade last year. I think You wait until a player is injured to pile on out of frustration for things completely out of Parsons control.

While I don’t blame people for exercising their right to be upset over a string of losses etc. I also don’t think it’s a
Fire Matt
Fire Love
Fire Gutey
Fire Ed Policy
Fire Jacobs
Fire Zach BB
FIRE The OC
Fire the OL
Fire the DL
Fire Fire Fire Fire Fire.

I guess we live in a society that promotes divorce. Irreconcilable differences!

Oh I would have if I was active, two young kids one with level three autism has sucked away a lot of my time.

It's a matter of philosophy on my part. Do not chase the big names, they typically not prove worth it, and there's a lot of risk trying to rely on one transcendent player. I also think that sports media and fans over hype the contributions of star players.

Woodson was the exception, he was coming off a trending decline in his career and could be had for a reasonable price.

With Parsons it's not just the salary and it's not just the draft picks, it's the combination.

Thing is I actually think we have the building blocks of a top defense. Bullard and Cooper look like budding stars and Van Ness looks like the real deal. It's a good thing when you have a difference maker in each unit of your defense. I just wish we had another good corner and at least one more quality DT.

 

[OldSchool101]

Oh I would have if I was active, two young kids one with level three autism has sucked away a lot of my time.

It's a matter of philosophy on my part. Do not chase the big names, they typically not prove worth it, and there's a lot of risk trying to rely on one transcendent player. I also think that sports media and fans over hype the contributions of star players.

Woodson was the exception, he was coming off a trending decline in his career and could be had for a reasonable price.

With Parsons it's not just the salary and it's not just the draft picks, it's the combination.

Thing is I actually think we have the building blocks of a top defense. Bullard and Cooper look like budding stars and Van Ness looks like the real deal. It's a good thing when you have a difference maker in each unit of your defense. I just wish we had another good corner and at least one more quality DT.

In the Past our high level success stories included a leader of the Defense. I don’t think it’s any surprise that was a key to our success. I used AI to calculate the equivalent $$ of Reggie White today. It’s $35Mil or about $5m off Parsons.

Now on the opposing argument, Reggie White did not include losing draft picks. Although if we get into this argument I’d have to consider where would we project our draft picks placing? The Packers routinely pick in the 20’s. Granted next year might be an anomoly. If you average the value of a pair of #20-#30 overall drafts picks it’s the equivalent of a singular Top 5-10 area selection. For me IF we think we are close to a deep playoff push it becomes a reasonable gamble because you get instant, high level contribution at the expense of losing a couple of future years. Call it an expediting play level today but you likely won’t have that in years 1-2 of a Rookie draft pick #8 overall etc. We witnessed evidence of Parsons instant impact.

Nobody can fully predict an injury. We can add that to the risk equation, but it’s still not going to thwart a one in a generation player signing imo.

 

[OldSchool101]

I fi like to spread my eggs across several players. I like the benefit of at least 1 of 2 remaining healthy if 1 injured. We saw this move by Brian in 2018? Z Smith and P Smith, Turner and Amos. When ZaDarius injured we still had Preston which helped. So actually Brian has already practiced spreading his eggs across baskets.

Summary: I don’t blame Brian Gutekunst for making a splash signing. Had we stayed a smidge more healthy last year (particular at OL) I think we beat the Bears handily at Soldier Field.

 

[Pugger]

He's sucking up a career high of double teams, 47.8 percent of his snaps. That's a man's work.

Parsons knows all about getting double-teamed all the time.

 

[milani]

Parsons knows all about getting double-teamed all the time.

Reggie got doubled plenty. But both the Eagles and Packers were able to surround with some talent to make it challenging for offenses.

 

[OldSchool101]

We’re also seeing that the Jets are at least a competitive team. They were losing 16-24 and had 1st n 10 at the Detroit28 either:55 seconds and timeouts. Geno got sacked and fumbled away a chance at a Tie or another OT with Detroit. The Jets might but be a playoff powerhouse but they’re plenty talented enough to beat a good coached team any given Sunday.

0-2 Washington with backup QB Marcus Marioto just beat Seattle. It was really not that close Washington led most of the game and by 2-scores in Q4. Now Marcus isn’t some champion level QB’s. Since 2020 he’s a 7-14 record guy. It’s just another example his it’s not a league that you can chalk up winners by previous records, us included. Seattle is a good football team last time I checked.

 

[rmontro]

I don't think the Parsons trade is the problem. Most teams would love to have him. It's the failure to address other areas effectively.

 

[adambr2]

The Parsons deal is a fine deal to make if you’re a player away from a SB contender.

The problem is, we weren’t and aren’t. Too many holes.

 

[easyk83]

I fi like to spread my eggs across several players. I like the benefit of at least 1 of 2 remaining healthy if 1 injured. We saw this move by Brian in 2018? Z Smith and P Smith, Turner and Amos. When ZaDarius injured we still had Preston which helped. So actually Brian has already practiced spreading his eggs across baskets.

Summary: I don’t blame Brian Gutekunst for making a splash signing. Had we stayed a smidge more healthy last year (particular at OL) I think we beat the Bears handily at Soldier Field.

Losing Devonte Wyatt sucked a lot out of our defense last year. Lack of depth at DT hurt us.

To be clear I would love to get dragged for this next year year with fans pointing out the idiot OP, if this take makes me a board legend I would be thrilled.

For me not moving on Parsons would have meant more cap money to do things like investing in our offensive line, maybe Jenkins is kept.

As for the two first rounders maybe we trade down into the top of the second pick up a third and snatch up depth at multiple spots it's hard to say. But a first rounder is the cheapest way to pick up a starter in this league. IMO getting say a Craig Newsome, a solid center, would do wonders for this team.


I loved the pickup of the Smiths and McKinney, that's exactly where a team should look to acquire talent. The value upside is high compared to the risk, versus say a high value high risk proposition like Parsons. In football every deal and strategy comes down to risk. Every player is one play away from being lost for the season or for good.

As for the Reggie White comparison, I can see it. Parsons does have obvious leadership qualities and a natural enthusiasm. But for me the difference is both the structure of the contract and the draft capital tied up, hence why I see the Parsons acquisition as a wrecking ball for the team.

Parsons knows all about getting double-teamed all the time.

On the edge running back or TE chips/rubs counts as a double team. Compare this to having your left hand on the chest of a guard and your right on the chest of a center, thats a whole different line of work.