Micah Aaron Parsons (born May 26, 1999) is an American professional football outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Parsons played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he earned consensus All-American honors and was named the 2019 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.
Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, Parsons was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned four Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections in four seasons with the team. He was traded to the Packers in 2025 amid a contract holdout and signed a four-year, $188 million extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at the time.
Early life Parsons was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 26, 1999. He attended Central Dauphin High School for his freshman and sophomore years, before transferring to Harrisburg High School where he started at both defensive end and running back.
As a senior, Parsons posted 1,239 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns (tied for ninth in the state), 99 receiving yards, and 2 receiving touchdowns. Parsons also played varsity basketball.
He was a five-star recruit and was ranked #4 in his class by 247Sports.com and #7 by ESPN. Parsons was recruited by Nebraska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Alabama, and Penn State. On December 19, it was reported that Ohio State had committed NCAA violations because the university allowed him on the set of ESPN's College GameDay to take a picture with analyst Kirk Herbstreit. As Herbstreit is a former Ohio State University quarterback, this was a violation of NCAA rules, as recruits are not allowed to have contact with members of the media associated with potential college teams. As a result, Ohio State agreed to no longer recruit Parsons.
Penn State University offered Parsons a football scholarship after just four games of his freshman season. He initially committed in the spring of 2016, then decommitted, before recommitting again on December 20, 2017. He graduated Harrisburg High School seven months early to expedite the enrollment process.
College career
After committing to Penn State, Parsons was informed by head coach James Franklin that he would start his Penn State career at middle linebacker rather than defensive end, which he played in high school. Parsons was in contention for the starting job even though he was a true freshman. In his freshman year, Parsons only started one out of 13 games for the Nittany Lions, but managed to lead the team in tackles with 82, while also making 4 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hurries and 2 forced fumbles. He became the first Nittany Lion to ever lead the team in tackles as a freshman. He started at outside linebacker against Rutgers University, after junior linebacker Cam Brown was disciplined because of a rules violation incident, with Parsons making 7 tackles (2 for loss) and a strip-sack. He had 14 tackles (one for loss) and a strip-sack against the University of Kentucky in the 2019 Citrus Bowl. He finished second in the Big Ten Freshman of the Year voting behind wide receiver Rondale Moore.
Prior to the start of his sophomore season, Parsons was named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list. He started 12 out of 13 games at middle linebacker, totaling 109 tackles (14 for loss), five sacks, 26 quarterback hurries, five deflected passes, and four forced fumbles. Parsons went on to be named the Butkus–Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year (given to the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year) and a consensus All-American. Parsons was named the 2019 Cotton Bowl Classic defensive MVP after recording 14 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.
He opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and declined his remaining years of college eligibility in favor of making himself available to the NFL in the 2021 draft. Despite leaving Penn State early to enter the NFL, Parsons completed his degree in criminology and graduated from Penn State in 2021.
Professional career
Dallas Cowboys
Parsons was selected in the first round (12th overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $17 million, on June 9, 2021. When DeMarcus Lawrence broke his foot in practice before Week 2, Dallas converted Parsons back to his high school position of defensive end where he saw immediate success, particularly as a pass rusher. In Week 8, Parsons had 11 tackles, including four for loss in a 20–16 win over the Minnesota Vikings, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. From Week 9 to Week 14, Parsons recorded at least one sack in six straight games. His 12 sacks in his first 13 career games are the fourth-most by a rookie in NFL history behind only Julius Peppers (13), Reggie White (13) and Leslie O'Neal (12.5). Parsons finished with 84 total tackles, 13 sacks and three forced fumbles. His 13 sacks were a Cowboys rookie record for a season. He was voted into the Pro Bowl, named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, and was the unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He was ranked 16th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
In Week 5 of the 2022 season, Parsons had two sacks, five tackles, and a tackle for loss in a 22–10 win over the defending champions Los Angeles Rams, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, against the Chicago Bears, he had a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 49–29 victory. In the 2022 season, Parsons had 13.5 sacks, 65 total tackles (42 solo), three passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He had six games on the season with two sacks. Parsons was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press at the end of the year. He was ranked ninth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
In Week 2 of the 2023 season, Parsons recorded four tackles, three for a loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and recovery in a 30–10 win over the New York Jets, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the 2023 season with 14 sacks, 64 total tackles (36 solo), two passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the 2023 season. He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
On April 24, 2024, the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Parsons' contract. In the 2024 season, Parsons had 12 sacks, 43 tackles, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles. He is one of two players in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons, joining Reggie White. He was ranked 36th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025.
In 2025, his attempts to sign a new contract with the Cowboys became contentious and the relationship deteriorated while owner Jerry Jones negotiated directly with Parsons. Reports in the media indicated that Jones believed he had struck a handshake agreement, only for Parsons' agent (David Mulugheta) — who did not participate in the discussions — to reject the deal. Parsons reported to training camp without participating in practices, citing a back issue. On August 1, 2025, Parsons requested the Cowboys trade him and released a statement explaining his reasoning through his personal Twitter account, "Yes I wanted to be here. I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this America's team once again. The team my pops and I grew up cheering for way up in Harrisburg, PA. Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me." Jones responded by telling Cowboys fans "don't lose any sleep," implying there was no interest in trading Parsons, and started to regularly discuss the circumstances in the media. On August 22, 2025, the situation came to an inflection point, when Parsons was caught on television napping on a trainer's table on the sideline, during the third quarter of the preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. On August 28, 2025, the Cowboys decided to go ahead with the trade request, which was widely criticized by analysts and fans, questioning trading a "generational talent" to a major NFC opponent and receiving what was seen as a low return. Besides acquiring Kenny Clark, the Cowboys eventually turned the picks they received from the Green Bay Packers into: Quinnen Williams (plus additional compensation), Malachi Lawrence, Devin Moore and LT Overton.
Green Bay Packers
After his holdout continued into the preseason, on August 28, 2025, the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks. Immediately after being traded, Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Parsons chose to wear 1 with the Packers, a number not worn by a Packer in the regular season since team founder Curly Lambeau wore it in the 1925 and 1926 seasons.
On October 19, in a 27–23 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Parsons tallied a career high three sacks on quarterback Jacoby Brissett, for which he won NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. On December 14, during Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, Parsons suffered a non-contact knee injury while pass rushing Bo Nix. He did not return for the remainder of the game, as the Packers lost 34–26. Later the same day, it was reported that the initial fear was that he suffered a torn ACL. Parsons was placed on season-ending injured reserve on December 17. Despite this, he was still selected for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games. He earned first team All-Pro honors for the third time. He finished the 2025 season with 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, and one pass defended.
Parsons began the 2026 season on the PUP list while recovering from the torn ACL, sidelining him for the first four weeks of the regular season.
Career statistics Legend Bold Career high NFL
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions 2021 DAL 16 16 84 64 20 13.0 20 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2022 DAL 17 17 65 42 23 13.5 13 3 3 36 1 0 0 0 3 2023 DAL 17 17 64 36 28 14.0 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2024 DAL 13 13 43 30 13 12.0 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2025 GB 14 13 41 19 22 12.5 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Career 77 76 297 191 106 65.0 75 11 4 36 1 0 0 0 10
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions 2021 DAL 1 1 9 3 6 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2022 DAL 2 2 7 4 3 1.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2023 DAL 1 1 2 1 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Career 4 4 18 8 10 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
College Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions 2018 Penn State 13 1 83 48 35 1.5 5.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 Penn State 13 12 109 52 57 5.0 14.0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 2020 Penn State Opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic Career 26 13 192 100 92 6.5 19.0 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
Personal life In May 2018, Parsons became the father of a son, Malcolm. Parsons cited the risk that COVID-19 presented to the health and well-being of his son Malcolm as a major factor in his decision to opt out participation in the 2020 college football season. Parsons welcomed a daughter on January 14, 2023. Parsons is a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is a fan of Penn State wrestling, the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia 76ers.McGuire, Kevin. (January 28, 2023). Micah Parsons returns to Penn State for massive wrestling match with Iowa. Nittany Lions Wire. Retrieved September 26, 2023.