News Packers Team Notes

Packers Practice Squad Tracker: Green Bay begins building 2025 squad

gettyimages-2231209240.jpg


While not as dramatic as Tuesday’s deadline for NFL teams to reduce their rosters to 53 players, Wednesday is still an important day around the league. Not only do waiver claims come in on many of the players who were released on Tuesday, but it also is the first day that teams can begin to sign players to their practice squads for the 2025 season.

NFL teams are allowed to assemble practice squads of 16 players, plus an additional 17th player if that individual is an eligible for International Pathway Program. The Packers did have an IPP player in training camp in the form of Irish kicker Mark McNamee, so he could end up coming back as the 17th man.

Only players who are free agents are eligible to sign with a team’s practice squad, however. Because many players are subject to the waiver system, teams need to wait until waivers clear at 12 Noon Eastern today before they can begin assembling their practice squads.

Keep it here as we track all of the news of the Packers’ signings as well as players who were recently released by the team who are landing elsewhere.

Packers practice squad signings​

  1. WR Will Sheppard (reported by Bill Huber)
  2. OL Brant Banks (reported by Ryan Wood)

Former Packers on other teams’ practice squads​

  • None so far

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...s-practice-squad-tracker-2025-signings-rumors
 
NFL waiver wire explained: Packers players subject to the process

1728079501.jpg


The Green Bay Packers have over 60 players who could be subject to waivers as they look to cut down from 90 players to 53 by the August 26 deadline and beyond.

Of course, several players on their rookie contracts should be safe from getting waived, such as wide receiver Jayden Reed and safety Evan Williams. But, if any of these players are waived this week, they will be subject to the waiver wire pool and can be claimed by another team.

If not, they can be a part of Green Bay’s 16-man practice squad, which will likely be finalized the day after the cutdown date.

Which Green Bay Packers are subject to waivers?​


DB Johnathan Baldwin
T Brant Banks
LB Jared Bartlett
T Anthony Belton
DL Warren Brinson
G Tyler Cooper
QB Taylor Elgersma
WR Matthew Golden
CB Tyron Herring
RB Amar Johnson
LB Jamon Johnson
G J.J. Lippe
K Mark McNamee
WR Isaiah Neyor
DL Devonte O’Malley
DL Collin Oliver
CB Micah Robinson
WR Will Sheppard
DL Barryn Sorrell
DL Nazir Stackhouse
G John Williams
WR Savion Williams
DL Deslin Alexandre
WR Kawaan Baker
S Omar Brown
DL James Ester
CB Kamal Hadden
WR Julian Hicks
G/T Donovan Jennings
WR Cornelius Johnson
CB Kalen King
TE Johnny Lumpkin
DB Jaylin Simpson
TE Messiah Swinson
S Javon Bullard
QB Sean Clifford
LB Edgerrin Cooper
LB Ty’Ron Hopper
RB MarShawn Lloyd
CB Bo Melton
C/G Jacob Monk
T/G Jordan Morgan
S Kitan Oladapo
T Kadeem Telfort
S Evan Williams
RB Israel Abanikanda
S Zayne Anderson
RB Chris Brooks
DL Karl Brooks
DL Brenton Cox Jr.
RB Tyrion Davis-Price
WR Malik Heath
TE Tucker Kraft
DL Arron Mosby
TE Luke Musgrave
WR Jayden Reed
TE Ben Sims
G/C Lecitus Smith
CB Carrington Valentine
DL Lukas Van Ness
P Daniel Whelan
WR Dontayvion Wicks
RB Emanuel Wilson
DL Colby Wooden

What is waivers in the NFL?​


As the final preparations begin for the season, teams will make massive changes to their roster, either waiving or releasing players. But not all players instantly become free agents and free to sign with any team.

Well, when a player is ‘waived’, they are subject to the waiver wire, where any team can claim them and assume their current contract. Currently, the waiver wire order (listed below) is dependent on the NFL Draft order from this past April, but without any trades.

Teams will file waiver claims at the same time, but only the team with the highest claim will successfully ‘claim’ the player and their current contract.

Which NFL players are subject to go on waivers and not be released?​


Whether or not a player enters the waiver wire of becomes a free agent depends on a player’s NFL service time. Players with at least four years of accrued NFL service time are outright released. If a player is released, their contract has ended, and they’re eligible to sign with any team.

However, if a player has less than four years of service time, they are waived and subject to waiver wire claims. Any player who is not claimed after being waived is eligible to sign wherever they’d like, including their former team’s practice squad.

Mainly, the group of players getting waived is those who are currently not eligible for unrestricted free agency status entering the year. They would be an Exclusive Rights Free Agent (less than three years of service) or a Restricted Free Agent (three years of service).

What is the NFL waiver order right now?​


The NFL waiver order during the preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season mirrors the 2025 NFL Draft order. Once we get through four games, it resets to the current NFL standings. So the Titans have first crack at every player on waivers.

  1. Tennessee Titans
  2. Cleveland Browns
  3. New York Giants
  4. New England Patriots
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars
  6. Las Vegas Raiders
  7. New York Jets
  8. Carolina Panthers
  9. New Orleans Saints
  10. Chicago Bears
  11. San Francisco 49ers
  12. Dallas Cowboys
  13. Miami Dolphins
  14. Indianapolis Colts
  15. Atlanta Falcons
  16. Arizona Cardinals
  17. Cincinnati Bengals
  18. Seattle Seahawks
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  20. Denver Broncos
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers
  22. Los Angeles Chargers
  23. Green Bay Packers
  24. Minnesota Vikings
  25. Houston Texans
  26. Los Angeles Rams
  27. Baltimore Ravens
  28. Detroit Lions
  29. Washington Commanders
  30. Buffalo Bills
  31. Kansas City Chiefs
  32. Philadelphia Eagles

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...lained-packers-players-subject-to-the-process
 
The Packers have 19 contract year players on their 53-man roster

imagn-26701760.jpg


Now that the Green Bay Packers have officially announced their 53-man roster, let’s take a look at which of their players are on expiring contracts. In total, 19 of their 53-man roster players, a huge year-to-year increase, are set to be 2026 free agents.

There are three different types of free agents, though: unrestricted, restricted and exclusive rights. We’ll get into how these 19 fit into those three groups and the differences between them.

Unrestricted Free Agents (8)

  • QB Malik Willis
  • WR Romeo Doubs
  • WR Christian Watson (PUP)
  • TE John FitzPatrick
  • LT Rasheed Walker
  • RG Sean Rhyan
  • DE Kingsley Enagbare
  • LB Quay Walker

The eight players listed above are set to be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. This means that they’ll hit true free agency if they play out their contracts.

Generally, if players are going to stick around on the roster beyond their rookie contracts, these extensions are usually done ahead of them seeing the field for their contract season. The reason? The risk players assume by testing out free agency is more about them finishing that contract year healthy, not the risk associated with hitting the actual free agent market. Usually, players who hit free agency are rewarded for doing so. That’s why the middle-class starter, non-Pro Bowlers, are seeing the most salary growth league-wide.

If you’re looking for comparable contracts right now:

  • Chicago Bears backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, who didn’t start a game last year, received a two-year, $10 million extension recently. You’d have to think that Malik Willis, who won two games in 2024, would net at least in the range of Bagent.
  • With Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who has posted 1,593 yards over the last three years, signing a four-year, $53 million extension, Romeo Doubs, who has 1,7000 receiving yards in the NFL, is probably looking at that $13 million per year range. Obviously, though, Doubs’ concussion history is a factor.
  • New Tennessee Titans left tackle Dan Moore, who led the NFL in sacks allowed with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, raised the floor for the starting left tackle market in free agency by signing a four-year, $83 million deal. Now you get why the Packers are banking reps with Jordan Morgan at left tackle, so that they have a non-veteran plan post-Rasheed Walker.
  • The minimum cost for a full-time starting linebacker in the NFL right now is probably $15 million per year, based on what Jamien Sherwood and Nick Bolton received this offseason. This market is moving quickly, like the tackle position. A rapidly moving receiver market got the Packers off of attempting to extend Davante Adams in the past. Now it could be Green Bay’s turn to opt out of the linebacker market with Quay Walker’s extension. Remember, the Packers already turned down picking up Walker’s $14.8 million fifth-year option earlier this offseason.

I’m not comfortable pinning down a number for the market value of receiver Christian Watson or Sean Rhyan right now.

So what’s the good news with these free agents probably leaving next year? Compensatory picks! If Willis, Doubs, Walker and Walker hit those figures in free agency, that will net Green Bay the following selections, based on the comp pick formula: 7th, 5th, 3rd and 4th. That’s if and only if the Packers don’t sign any outside free agents that would offset those selections, though.

Here’s the bad news: There’s even more free agents Green Bay probably won’t bring back.

Restricted Free Agents (9)

  • RB Chris Brooks
  • RB Emanuel Wilson
  • WR Malik Heath
  • TE Ben Sims
  • G Darian Kinnard
  • DE Brenton Cox Jr.
  • CB Bo Melton
  • S Zayne Anderson
  • P Daniel Whelan

Our next section of players is the restricted free agents, players who will have accrued three NFL seasons by the end of the 2025 season, assuming they stay healthy for six games. These players can be tendered at three different price points.

Projected RFA tender costs for 2026:

  • 1st round: $7.9 million
  • 2nd round: $5.7 million
  • Right of First Refusal: $3.5 million

If the Packers hit any of these players with a 1st or 2nd round tender (highly unlikely), then a team that signs them in “restricted free agency” would have to award Green Bay with either a 1st or 2nd round pick. A one-year, $3.5 million tenure only allows Green Bay to match a player’s contract if they’re offered a deal by another team.

In all likelihood, these players will probably hit unrestricted free agency, where they will sign for less than $3.5 million, after the Packers choose not to tender them. The one exception is punter Daniel Whelan, the only starter on this list. Green Bay probably gets a multi-year extension done with him sometime before free agency.

Exclusive Right Free Agents (2)

  • G Donovan Jennings
  • DT Keith Randolph (IR)
  • CB Kamal Hadden
  • S Omar Brown (IR)

Our last group of free agents are ERFAs, who can be retained for the league minimum. These players will likely all return to the Packers’ roster in 2026. I’m not including Keith Randolph or Omar Brown in our contract year count, since they are on season-ending injured reserve, but I wanted to note that they could come back next year.



So what does Green Bay look like going into 2026? Using our post-cutdown depth chart, here’s what the 53-man roster looks like. The players highlighted in red are either UFAs or RFAs.

Screenshot-2025-08-27-at-6.00.55%E2%80%AFAM.png

Obviously, the Packers have some work to do between now and next September. They own all seven of their original draft choices in the 2026 draft, but won’t be receiving any compensatory picks in the upcoming draft. Outside free agent signings in 2026 will also hurt their chances of receiving compensatory picks in the 2027 draft.

Look for the team to be on the hunt for cheap talent on multi-year deals moving forward.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ter-2026-free-agents-update-post-cutdown-cuts
 
Wednesday Cheese Curds: Packers still have plenty of roster work to do

imagn-26889172.jpg


Well, the Packers have their 53-man roster.

For now.

This truly seems like the best representation of the phrase “initial” 53-man roster we’ve seen in a while. As of this morning, the Packers have five players on the injury-related lists that will allow them to return at some point this season (Jacob Monk and MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve – designated to return; Christian Watson, Collin Oliver, and John Williams on the physically unable to perform list). That means there will be at least five changes to the roster this season, though we all know there will be many more than that.

On top of that, the Packers went with unusual numbers of players at a couple of other spots. I don’t think six defensive linemen were on anybody’s bingo card, and it was nearly as surprising to see the Packers keep just four linebackers. Presumably, there will be movement there sooner than later. The same could be true at cornerback, where the Packers made the relatively surprising choice to keep Micah Robinson ahead of a few of the higher-profile options at the spot.

All that to say, this roster is very much a work in progress. The largest part of the work is done, but there’s still plenty to do over the course of the season.

Winners and Losers from Packers Roster Cuts | Sports Illustrated

In the zero-sum game that is NFL roster construction, someone has to lose for someone else to win.

Quick takeaways from Packers cutdowns: Surprising cuts and tough calls made | Packers Wire

It was a hard day’s work for Brian Gutekunst and the Packers’ personnel department.

2025 NFL bold predictions: Potential surprises for 32 teams | ESPN

Now’s as good a time as any to get bold.

1923 stock certificate, Tom Brown Super Bowl rings clear six figures as Packers memorabilia skyrockets | Packers News

There was some serious Packers memorabilia up for grabs in a recent auction.

Panthers trade Adam Thielen to Vikings as veteran WR returns to Minnesota | NFL.com

The Minnesota Vikings have been trolling for wide receiver talent for a while, but this was not the move I expected they’d make.

Japanese city weighs limiting smartphone use to 2 hours per day | UPI

This will barely cover the time I need to trawl the internet for Micah Parsons news and rumors.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ackers-still-have-plenty-of-roster-work-to-do
 
NFL’s post-cutdown waiver pick-ups announced

imagn-26929574.jpg


NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the full list of players who were picked up from waivers on Wednesday following the NFL’s cutdowns. In total, 30 players were claimed, fewer than one per club.

Notably, the Green Bay Packers didn’t win a single waiver claim and did not have any of their releases picked up by another squad.

Players who were claimed:

  • QB Tommy DeVito
  • RB Raheim Sanders
  • WR Dalevon Campbell
  • WR Trey Palmer
  • TE Jelani Woods
  • T Esa Pole
  • G Xavier Truss
  • C Willie Lampkin
  • DE Tyrus Wheat
  • DE D.J. Ravenell
  • DT Tyler Lacy
  • DT Jordan Jefferson
  • LB D’Marco Jackson
  • LB Chad Muma
  • LB Brennan Jackson
  • LB Cam Jones
  • LB Dorian Mausi
  • DB Jaylon Jones
  • DB Jarrick Dernard-Converse
  • DB Damarri Mathis
  • DB Trikweze Bridges
  • DB Reddy Steward
  • DB Julius Brents
  • DB Charles Woods
  • DB Beau Brade
  • DB Rico Payton
  • DB Derion Kendrick
  • DB Jalyn Armour-Davis
  • DB Samuel Womack

One interesting name on this list is former Kansas City Chiefs tackle Esa Pole, who was a pre-draft visitor with the Packers this offseason. We noted that when Pole was waived, there was potential for him to join Green Bay. With the New York Jets having waiver priority over the Packers because of their 2024 record, though, we’ll never know if Green Bay put in a claim for him.

The good news: The Packers should have the advantage over the rest of the league in being able to retain their own cuts to keep on their practice squad this year. Two other former Green Bay visitors, cornerback Jammie Robinson and tight end Josh Whyle, passed through waivers. It doesn’t appear that the Packers still have interest in those former draft picks.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...st-cutdown-esa-pole-green-bay-packers-waivers
 
Report: Packers are interested in trading for Micah Parsons BUT

gettyimages-1940064839.jpg


Due to internet rumors started up by everyone’s favorite Twitter dog, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio dug around to find out if the Green Bay Packers really had wheels in motion to acquire Dallas Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons. According to Florio, a source told him that Green Bay is “interested,” but that the trade is “nowhere near the smoke that’s out there.”

As Florio pointed out, the Packers’ interest doesn’t matter as long as the Cowboys choose to hang onto Parsons. Until Jerry Jones decided that the two sides are beyond the point of a makeup, following sputtering contract negotiations that included Jones talking with Parsons instead of his agent, there will be no trade.

As a reminder, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport hypothesized earlier this month that it would take near Khalil Mack type of trade compensation for Green Bay to get Parsons, if he’s even available. Mack ended up getting traded in his prime to the Chicago Bears for a little under two first-round picks in value.

So that’s the ballpark of the trade, if the Packers choose to go down this road.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ah-parsons-trade-update-dallas-cowboys-rumors
 
Packers sign a 5th linebacker

gettyimages-2190744591.jpg


According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, the Green Bay Packers have signed linebacker Nick Niemann to fill out their linebacker room. The Packers only kept four linebackers on their initial 53-man roster, which was just an unfeasible number for a 4-3 defense in a league that has recently emphasized both the kickoff play.

It was obvious that Green Bay was going to bring in a fifth linebacker on Wednesday. The only question was whether it was going to be an outside player or one of Isaiah Simmons or Kristian Welch, who the team released yesterday.

Nick Niemann was drafted with pick 185 of round 6 in the 2021 draft class. He scored a 9.51 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 107 out of 2155 LB from 1987 to 2021. https://t.co/77IuRsU6gT #RAS #Chargers pic.twitter.com/gYxq2275ls

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) May 1, 2021

Niemann was a sixth-round pick out of Iowa in 2021. After playing in 64 games for the Los Angeles Chargers over four years, he signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Houston Texans this offseason. This included a $1.5 million signing bonus, which the Texans had to eat with his release. In total, he received $4 million in guarantees from Houston.

According to a source, Niemann’s $2.5 million in guaranteed salary over the next two years has offsets, so there’s no incentive for him to ask for more than a minimum salary. He continues to get paid that $2.5 million, and a minimum salary leaves Houston on the hook.

Niemann is known best for his special teams play, as he’s only played 363 defensive snaps to 1,298 special teams reps in his NFL career. For perspective, he only played five percent of the defensive snaps last year in the 13 games that he was active for with the Chargers. Make no mistake: This is 100 percent a special teams move.

He’s also the brother of linebacker Ben Niemann, who played with the Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions. His father is Jay Niemann, who has served on Iowa’s staff as an assistant defensive line coach and the team’s defensive recruiting coordinator since 2019. The elder Niemann was Packers first-round pick Lukas Van Ness’ positional coach with the Hawkeyes.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-niemann-signed-linebacker-2025-roster-update
 
Packers release 7th-round draft pick Micah Robinson

gettyimages-2229652210.jpg


The Green Bay Packers needed to make one move on Wednesday to free up a spot on the 53-man roster, and the team announced it right after the 4:00 PM Eastern deadline. Green Bay signed free agent linebacker Nick Niemann on Wednesday following his release by the Houston Texans the day before, but that required a corresponding move to make room on the active roster.

That move comes at the expense of a rookie draft pick. Cornerback Micah Robinson was one of the biggest surprises on the initial 53-man roster, but the Packers announced that they have waived him, making it a brief stay. A 7th-round pick out of Tulane, Robinson’s calling card is his speed, but he has much to prove in coverage, and most roster predictions before Tuesday left him off the team in favor of Corey Ballentine or Kalen King.

Now the Packers are down to five cornerbacks, though they are back up to a more reasonable number at linebacker, with five players at that position as well. With Nate Hobbs “trending the right way” towards playing in week one, according to head coach Matt LaFleur in his Wednesday press conference, perhaps that extra body will not be essential after all.

The Packers will surely hope that Robinson clears waivers on Thursday; if he does, expect him to sign back to Green Bay’s practice squad. The team announced 13 signings to the squad earlier today and two more have been reported, leaving a pair of open spots available.

Robinson now becomes the only member of the Packers’ 2025 draft class who has been subject to waivers at any point during final cuts. 5th-round pick Collin Oliver and fellow 7th-rounder John Williams will both start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, while the other five members of the class are currently on the active 53-man roster.

The decision to release Robinson also appears to spell good things for two other Packers players. 4th-round rookie Barryn Sorrell and veteran safety Zayne Anderson both suffered injuries late in the preseason and were potential candidates to land on Injured Reserve; however, the team’s decision to keep both on the active roster suggests that they should both be ready to play within the next few weeks, as a stint on IR would have forced a player to miss at least four games.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...d-draft-pick-micah-robinson-sign-nick-niemann
 
Micah Parsons and the NFL’s Siberia

gettyimages-1441690646.jpg


Management has plenty of options when it comes to keeping labor in line. If you’re reading this and have ever had a job, I’m sure you’ve seen this power exercised in at least one form of fashion at least once in your life. In the NFL, though, front offices have one lever they can pull that isn’t common in most industries: sending your ass to some place you don’t prefer to be.

Post-Brett Favre, because of the winning the franchise has done, the Green Bay Packers haven’t had much of an issue collecting talent. Before Favre, though, Green Bay was known as Siberia, a less-than-cute way to describe our beloved Frozen Tundra.

Don’t believe me? Gil Brandt (RIP), who was the architect for two Super Bowl teams with the Dallas Cowboys, once tweeted: “Back in the day we used to tell players we’d send them to Siberia, aka Green Bay, when they’d ask for a trade.” Even former Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy, who played with Washington from 1977 to 1984, admitted, “When I played…Green Bay was the Siberia of the NFL,” while holding the title as the Packers’ pseudo-owner.

"I'm loving my time here. I've just embraced everything New York. I had some great opportunities at MSG, and concerts… Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and plays… There's a lot of stuff to do. I'm enjoying it."- Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/iyBKKHodLo

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 4, 2023

While QB1, Aaron Rodgers famously stated, “I think we can all understand Green Bay isn’t a huge vacation destination. People come here to play with me.” A few years later, he gushed nonstop about all of the activities that there were to do in New York City as a member of the Jets.

Please spare me the comments telling me the benefits of living in Green Bay. I understand what living outside of major metros in the United States is like. For most of the first 26 years of my life, I lived in a county of about 20,000 people in an unincorporated community on a mountain. You’d be preaching to the choir.

The fact of the matter, though, is that the US has about 340 million people, and about half of them live in 15 combined statistical areas, essentially metro areas. According to census data, a little over 75 percent of Americans live in metros larger than Green Bay. So while Brown County may seem plenty populated to someone who grew up in small-town America, like me, others do have differing opinions.

So why bring this up? Because I believe it’s critical in understanding what’s going on with the Micah Parsons rumors.

Based on multiple conversations that I’ve had over the past couple of days, here’s my belief of what is happening and why we’re getting all this Parsons trade buzz — beyond it just being a juicy trade hypothetical involving two popular franchises and a disgruntled All-Pro defender near the start of the regular season.

First of all, Parsons and the Cowboys clearly don’t see eye-to-eye on contract compensation after owner Jerry Jones’ direct-to-player conversations that excluded Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, failed to produce a deal. Jones, a multi-billionaire who was humble enough to center himself in a recent Netflix series about the Dallas Cowboys’ Super Bowl runs in the 1990s, did what most powerful people do when they don’t initially get what they want: He flexed his influence.

That’s where this “I’ll send his ass to Siberia if he doesn’t sign this deal” part of the equation comes into play. Hey, it probably worked in the 1990s, where the Cowboys seem to be perpetually living.

Parsons isn’t exactly a homebody. If he’s not in Dubai on vacation, he’s recording a podcast or hanging out at a multi-billion-dollar CEO’s party. He can do these things as a member of the Packers, no doubt, but these actions don’t scream “I would like to live a quiet life as a family man,” which generally attracts people to Green Bay. The cold “small town” is for an acquired taste, on the relative scale of millionaire athletes in their 20s.

Jones identified Green Bay, the stardom that comes with being the face of the Cowboys and the NFL’s trade culture as leverage he could take advantage of. Unfortunately for him, Mulugheta is no pushover.

As a super agent for Athletes First, one of the largest agencies representing NFL players, Mulugheta’s roster includes the likes of Deshaun Watson, who received a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, and stars like Jordan Love, Derek Stingley Jr., Jaycee Horn, Jalen Ramsey and Xavier McKinney. So what does Mulugheta do when an owner threatens to trade a player in a contract dispute? Mulugheta gets a number.

If you want to stick your head in the sand and believe tampering doesn’t happen in the NFL, I envy your belief in people’s willingness to follow rules even when it doesn’t benefit them. First-hand, I’ve overheard discussions that would violate league rules over drinks at the combine. Just this week, Chicago Bears running back Mike Davis admitted that the Bears tampered with him directly while on a podcast. Also, [gestures vaguely at everything happening in college football and the transfer portal].

Rules are only as strong as their enforcement. As long as you have plausible deniability in these cases and don’t leave a paper trail, the NFL can’t hit you with a hammer. This part is heard loud and clear. Remember when quarterback Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay just happened to run into each other in Cabo during a trade sweepstakes? Plausible deniability! No paper trails!

Parsons has been caught breaking the rules before, back during his college recruitment. As a top-five prospect who was initially considering attending Ohio State, he was the subject of recruiting violations that eventually barred the Buckeyes from recruiting him further. The smoking gun in this case? A photo. No paper trails!

In Mulugheta’s case, it helps that he also reps four Packers: Love, McKinney, Kingsley Enagbare and Malik Willis. Enagbare and Willis are in contract seasons, meaning that Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst should be calling Mulugheta anyway. On top of that, the NFL cutdown deadline just passed, a busy period for front office-representation discussions. If Gutekunst and Mulugheta didn’t use some middleman for communication, a call between them wouldn’t even seem out of the ordinary at this time of year. Plausible deniability!

A source familiar with the situation told me on Thursday night that the deal Parsons’ camp believes he can secure from the Packers is around the rumored $45 million per year floating around the internet, give or take, depending on how much money is guaranteed. For now, though, it’s in Mulugheta and Green Bay’s interest to deny any conversations have even happened, beyond a number to use for Parsons in negotiations with the Cowboys. No paper trails!

In a way, Mulugheta getting that number from the Packers turned the gun around on Jones’ threat. You want to send us to Green Bay? Well, we think they’re willing to reset the non-quarterback market. Nothing more has to be said. Both sides know the score here.

And I believe that’s where we stand today and where all these leaking rumors stem from. Jones wanted to use Green Bay as a threat to Parsons, who still ideally wants to be in Dallas, but more than that wants to be compensated at the rate that his agent now knows that he can get from the Packers. Meanwhile, Jones has told Green Bay — and the rest of the league, for that matter — that Parsons isn’t available, which he should continue to do until he’s absolutely sure that he’s ready to pull the trigger. So it’s time for Jones to make a decision: follow through with his threat or pay Parsons his money.

Right now, it benefits both Parsons and Jones, who both ultimately want to get a deal done, to use the Packers to call each other’s bluffs. But time is ticking. Flights out of Dallas and second opinions on a back issue can buy them some time, but that won’t last forever. Parsons is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, but he needs to accrue at least six regular-season games this year so that his contract doesn’t toll and rollover into next year.

Is he willing to sit out games this season and eat the north of $1 million per game lost that comes with it? Can he “rehab” this “back issue” on company time and still get paid in full? We’re on pace to find out.

After multiple conversations with people this week, this is my belief on this situation. Do I think Parsons and Jones ultimately get an extension done in Dallas? I still think it’s highly likely, but I’ve been told that both the Cowboys and Packers have spent more time contemplating, inside their organizations, what a trade would look like in recent days. Officially, there’s no trade offer on the table because, officially, the Cowboys still aren’t taking offers.

The point of this story is to show you how the sausage is made in the NFL, why these rumors are coming from more unconventional sources than the usual insiders and why Green Bay is frequently brought up as a potential landing spot for players in contract disputes. We’re all seeing the smoke, but at this point, no one seems to know for sure if there’s an actual fire burning or if Jones and Mulugheta are just trying to spook each other into a more favorable deal for their side. Make no mistake, though, the Packers are intertwined as a secondary character. At least for now.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ah-parsons-trade-rumors-update-dallas-cowboys
 
Report: Jayden Reed’s foot injury is a Jones fracture

gettyimages-2194079119.jpg


According to News 3 Now’s Jason Wilde, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed has suffered a Jones fracture. Reed had been dealing with a foot injury during the preseason, often seen in a walking boot, and we now know the reported root of the issue.

Reed practiced on Wednesday, the Packers’ first time in pads since the cutdown deadline, and head coach Matt LaFleur stated in his pre-practice press conference that he’s hopeful that Reed will be able to play in Green Bay’s opener against the Detroit Lions on September 7th. At a minimum, Reed’s health seems to be trending in a positive direction.

Jones fractures were recently in the NFL news cycle when the Las Vegas Raiders voided the guarantees of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins over disagreements about his rehab process following surgery to fix the injury. Wilkins remains unsigned and has filed a grievance with the NFLPA over his voided guarantees.

According to the National Institutes of Health’s research into Jones fracture surgery in the NFL, there was a “decrease in performance by 46.3%” by those returning to the field in less than 10 weeks after surgery. Luckily, it doesn’t sound like Reed, who got three weeks of rest from practice leading up to Wednesday’s practice, needed surgery. The study also stated that the most common position to suffer a Jones fracture is the receiver position.

Reed has been the Packers’ primary slot receiver over the last two seasons, a role he will play if he’s able to suit up for the 2025 team. Beyond Reed, rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden and veteran Malik Heath were featured in the slot for Green Bay during the preseason.

Dontayvion Wicks (calf) also returned to practice on Wednesday, which should help with receiver room depth. Like Reed, Wicks was unable to get on the field for preseason action this summer.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...jayden-reed-injury-update-foot-jones-fracture
 
Cheese Curds, 8/28: Packers’ Wednesday moves bolster special teams

gettyimages-2231352007.jpg


Rich Bisaccia has another madman for his special teams units. On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers addressed their lack of linebackers on the 53-man roster by signing Nick Niemann, bolstering the depth at that position while adding a proven special teams contributor — and one who clearly loves being in that role.

Niemann’s own words demonstrate the attitude he’ll bring to teams, and it’s one that Bisaccia should love. After all, this is the coordinator who has loved players like Zayne Anderson and Dallin Leavitt — guys who have spent their careers as special teams stalwarts — and Keisean Nixon, who came to Green Bay mainly for his contributions on those units.

But Niemann isn’t the only addition on Wednesday who will help Bisaccia out. The Packers were able to keep two players on the practice squad who have been key pieces of those units over the past two years in linebacker Kristian Welch and defensive end Arron Mosby, both of whom were at least mildly surprising cuts on Tuesday. Mosby logged 150 defensive snaps last year, but was on the field for 241 special teams plays; Welch was elsewhere in 2024, but posted 210 special teams snaps in 2023.

Then there’s Mecole Hardman, who also is back on the practice squad. Hardman could be a candidate to get elevated to the gameday roster to return punts in week one, particularly with Jayden Reed’s status in question due to a Jones fracture in his foot.

Those three players returning to the organization is great news for the depth at their respective positions, but also for their potential special teams contributions. If anyone should be happy today about these signings, it should be Bisaccia.

5 things to know about new Packers LB Nick Niemann | Packers.com
Niemann fits the bill as a Packers type: he’s a bit undersized, an elite athlete…and he’s from Iowa.

New Packers LB Nick Niemann Wants to ‘Dominate on Special Teams’ | SI.com
He knows where his bread is buttered, however, and he sounds determined to make a major impact for Bisaccia’s units, saying that he will “try to be a problem” for opponents in the third phase.

5 things to know about new Packers practice squad QB Clayton Tune | Packers Wire
Meanwhile, the Packers have a new QB3, and he’s already very familiar with Matthew Golden as the two played together at the University of Houston in 2022.

2025 NFL bold predictions: Potential surprises for 32 teams | ESPN
Dan Graziano’s bold prediction for the Packers is that Jordan Love will be an MVP finalist this season. You’ll hear no complaints from APC if that comes true!

Why explosion of NFL QB contracts has drastically altered how teams build rosters | The Athletic ($)
This article shows that QB deals are going up faster than the salary cap, with the position taking up a bigger proportion of the cap than it did 10 or 15 years ago. That’s forcing some teams to adjust their attitude about how to invest in that position and others.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...al-teams-signings-niemann-welch-mosby-hardman
 
Micah Parsons Trade: Packers complete deal for Parsons, ink 4-year,$188M contract

gettyimages-1941288266.jpg


It’s official: Jerry Jones has sent Micah Parsons to Siberia.

The NFL’s version of Siberia. If it were the 1980s.

Yes, the Green Bay Packers have acquired one of the best defensive players in the NFL, completing a trade with the Dallas Cowboys to acquire Parsons. According to Ian Rapoport, the 2-time All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year is heading to the Packers to provide a massive boost to their pass rush, which struggled mightily with consistency a season ago, and in doing so this bizarre saga is finally over.

Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, has also completed negotiations with the Packers on a new contract for his client. The deal is a 4-year extension worth $188 million — approximately $47 million annually — in new money. This locks Parsons in with the Packers until 2029, his age-30 season, and the deal includes a whopping $136 million in guaranteed money, per Rapoport.

Parsons quickly confirmed the report with this tweet:

Thank you Dallas ….. GO Pack Go! 🧀🟢🟡 pic.twitter.com/FBnN1zRIri

— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) August 28, 2025

Heading from Green Bay to Dallas will likely be a substantial draft pick package. Stay tuned for details, but the package could be comparable to what the Chicago Bears sent to the Oakland Raiders in 2018 for Khalil Mack, which was the last big deal like this for an elite pass-rusher heading into his fifth NFL season. That trade saw the Bears send their 2019 and 2020 first-round picks, their 2020 third, and their 2020 sixth for Mack, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 7th. Notably, however, the Bears were coming off four straight seasons of 10 or more losses, suggesting that their future picks might be earlier in round one, while the Packers have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Parsons now joins a Packers edge group that already features Rashan Gary. Combined with a defensive tackle group that is capable of providing impressive interior pass rush behind the likes of Kenny Clark (just kidding – scroll down for more), Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks, this defensive line suddenly looks like a major problem for opposing offenses.

Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.

Update:


According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, reported that the Cowboys are sending Parsons to Green Bay at the cost of two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...lete-deal-for-parsons-ink-4-year188m-contract
 
Assorted thoughts on the Micah Parsons trade

gettyimages-1933182554.jpg


My head is spinning. Your head is probably spinning. The Green Bay Packers found their Reggie White/Charles Woodson for this era with the addition of All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons.

I’m just gonna rattle off a bunch of things I think about the trade because I can’t string them all together in a coherent way right now.

The buzz today

After posting my article detailing where the situation was on Wednesday, I got confirmation that last night the Packers’ brass reported back to the facility to work on some aspect of the Parsons trade — be it on exact contract details or the actual trade. This was supposed to be their first night off since cutdowns, so it was pretty notable that the team was putting in the work on their side.

Once national reporters finally came out and said that the Dallas Cowboys were open to offers, I figured this would happen pretty quickly. Again, as I reported, Parsons’ representation already had a rough number from Green Bay well before he was officially on the market.

The compensation

Two first-round picks and Kenny Clark in exchange for Parsons makes sense in this trade. Khalil Mack went for just under two first-round picks when he was traded in his prime, and Clark was likely to be a cap casualty in 2026 — especially if he were on the roster after the addition of Parsons. Clark and center Elgton Jenkins were the players who, due to their age and cost, were most likely to be released from the team in 2026 anyway. Had general manager Brian Gutekunst given in to Jenkins’ contract demands this summer, the team might not have been able to pull the trigger on this one.

The starting lineup

With Clark out of the picture, the starting nose tackle for this team is probably Colby Wooden, who got all of the opportunities to “start” in camp whenever Clark was held out of action. The pecking order there this summer, after Clark, was Wooden, then rookie Warren Brinson, then rookie Nazir Stackhouse.

As far as Parsons goes, the team has options. There’s no doubt that he’ll be an edge defender in the team’s nickel looks, but I wouldn’t discount the idea of him playing Sam linebacker in their 4-3 base.

Packers got into a 3-4 front with 4-3 personnel on the second play of the preseason, first play of base. LVN reduced like a 3-4 DE and Isaiah Simmons basically play a 3-4 OLB. pic.twitter.com/wB9gi6FZ1d

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 10, 2025

Throughout the preseason, the Packers played a lot of 3-4 and under front looks out of 4-3 personnel. Basically, this put a defensive end (Lukas Van Ness) in an interior position and allowed the Sam linebacker (could be Parsons) to essentially line up like an edge defender. There are ways to get Parsons, Rashan Gary and LVN all on the field at the same time is the big takeaway here.

The only issue is that LVN is really the only defensive end on the team who does well when kicked inside, just from a holding up against the run standpoint. Is the team willing to play Parsons at off-ball linebacker when LVN is getting breathers so that they can get all three of them on the field when they’re fresh? Are they just going to play two of them at a time and have LVN work off the bench? I don’t think this question is answered yet.

For what it’s worth, the Packers are in base defense just about one-third of the time. This, obviously, varies by what opposing offenses are doing. Usually, Green Bay matches the number of cornerbacks they play on a given down to the number of receivers an opposing offense throws on the field.

The future

The Packers have 19 unrestricted and restricted free agents going into 2026. They’re going to have seldom cap space to re-sign them with after the addition of Parsons. Maybe they burrow cap space from the future to delay the decay of this roster from starting in 2026, but make no mistake: There will be a hard rebuild after this, just like when Green Bay borrowed from the future at the end of Aaron Rodgers’ run with the team.

For now, Packers fans should enjoy the ride. The decision-makers juiced this team for this moment. Live in this moment.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...y-packers-micah-parsons-trade-analysis-update
 
How does the Micah Parsons trade compare to the Reggie White signing?

gettyimages-1491294320.jpg


The Packers’ deal for Micah Parsons draws one natural comparison: Ron Wolf’s franchise-altering acquisition of Reggie White.

The deal is certainly the biggest the Packers have made since White. Previous defensive free agent signings (Xavier McKinney, either Za’Darius or Preston Smith, Joe Johnson) were expensive, but they simply don’t compare. Even Charles Woodson, as pricey as his contract was, was an afterthought league-wide. There were no Charles Woodson sweepstakes; the Packers were the only team to offer him a deal.

But is the deal as big as the Reggie White signing? Let’s take a look at how it is and isn’t before we draw a final conclusion.

How the Parsons trade is like the White signing

There are some similarities between the two moves. Quite a bit of cloak-and-dagger and misdirection preceded both the Parsons trade and the White signing. We’ve been in a will they/won’t they holding pattern on whether or not the Cowboys would trade Parsons for at least a month now, and the Reggie White derby stretched out for quite a while, too. It hardly even seemed possible the Packers would sign him, right up until the moment they finally did. Even on the morning of April 6, 1993, the day White actually signed with the Packers, the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported it was a done deal that White was headed to San Francisco. The next day, the front page of the Press-Gazette was a picture of White holding a Packers jersey.

White and Parsons also signed lucrative contracts, though the degree to which they are lucrative is…well, quite varied. We’ll talk more about that in the “differences” section.

It can’t be denied that both Parsons and White are great pass rushers, though. In his four years in the NFL, Parsons has recorded 52.5 total sacks, only 1.5 sacks fewer than the 54 White logged in the four years prior to signing with Green Bay. In that span, White was voted to four Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro three times and a second-team All-Pro once. Parsons, like White, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last four seasons but is just a two-time first-team All-Pro, logging two second-team bids as well.

And, of course, both of these moves made the Packers the center of the football universe for a time. The Packers are the talk of the NFL right now, just as they were when they signed Reggie White, the biggest name available in the early days of free agency.

How the Parsons trade differs from the White signing

But comparing the two, the differences really start to show the longer you look.

For starters, the scale of the contract is remarkably different. In some sour grapes reporting the morning after White signed with the Packers, the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Packers had offered White a four-year, $17 million deal with $9 million guaranteed. Adjusted for inflation, White’s deal is only worth about $38 million in today’s money, less than Parson’s will average per year over the course of the deal.

But that’s the only area where the Parsons trade really wins out over the White signing in terms of significance.

Look, for instance, at their career accomplishments to date. While Parsons is a great player, by the time he signed with the Packers, White was already a surefire Hall of Famer. He had 124 career sacks (leading the league twice) and was a six-time first-team All-Pro, winning Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 after logging 21 sacks in just 12 games. And those accolades and accomplishments are actually limited by the fact that White had spent his first two years post-college in the USFL chasing quarterbacks for the Memphis Showboats. Parsons is great, and may be on a Hall of Fame track of his own, but White was a living legend. He’d have been a shoo-in for Canton even if he’d never played a down for the Packers.

And that’s what really sets the White signing apart from the Parsons trade. When White signed with the Packers, it really was NFL Siberia. Barely a decade earlier, the Packers’ top pick in the 1980 NFL Draft had chosen to play in Canada rather than come to Green Bay. Ron Wolf had begun to change things, but the Packers were in no way a free agent destination.

When White took less overall money (though more guaranteed money) to sign with the Packers over other would-be contenders like San Francisco or Washington, he did more than just pick where he wanted to work. He legitimized a franchise. He was the foundation of what would become an incredible, Super Bowl winning defense, and he rallied other players to his cause. Would Eugene Robinson have signed with the Packers if not for White? Would Sean Jones? Would Keith Jackson have accepted his trade from the Dolphins to the Packers if his old teammate hadn’t been there? We don’t know the answers to these questions, but White’s presence had to have been a factor, and it was unfathomable that a player of his stature would have chosen to voluntarily come to Green Bay…until it actually happened.

The bottom line: There are some similarities, but White’s signing still stands alone in Packers history

In greater context, White signing with the Packers is clearly a horse of a different color. Trading for Micah Parsons is an undeniably big splash for the Packers. It solidifies their championship aspirations. It should take their defense from good to elite.

But White changed the franchise. In fact, had he not signed with the Packers, it’s possible that Parsons might not be in Green Bay today. White changed the trajectory of the team, and now, more than 30 years later, the reverberations of his decision are still shaping the Packers.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ons-trade-compare-to-the-reggie-white-signing
 
Brian Gutekunst: Micah Parsons will ‘help us in some form or fashion’ vs Lions

imagn-26956596.jpg


After a plane issue delayed the Green Bay Packers’ set of press conferences, general manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur and your newest Packer, edge defender Micah Parsons, finally got in front of the media on Friday night.

Both Gutekunst and LaFleur were very particular about not talking about the timeline of the trade and when these discussions actually started. What Gutekunst did shed some light on when he thought the trade possibility for Parsons went from something close to a Hail Mary to something they could actually get done:

“I don’t think it was until the last few days that I actually thought, hey, there’s an opportunity here to close this thing out.”

According to Gutekunst, his previous involvement with the Khalil Mack trade, where Mack ultimately ended up with the rival Chicago Bears in 2018, taught him that he needed to be earlier in these discussions. Gutekunst said that he didn’t think being earlier in on Mack would have changed the outcome of that trade, but that it could have been a factor in other trades of that caliber, like this move for the three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.

Many have speculated that new Packers president and CEO Ed Policy, who took over the job this offseason, pushed the team to make this move. Gutekunst’s story of events is that Policy was “supportive” and kept in the loop, but not the one who pushed this trade.

Both Gutekunst and LaFleur, when asked about their defensive tackle room, reiterated their confidence in Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse. Don’t expect this team to make a trade or signing to replace Kenny Clark, at least until they’ve exhausted these options. At the moment, it appears that Wooden will be the Packers’ starting nose tackle in 2025 after losing Clark in the Parsons trade.

As far as how quickly Parsons will be able to suit up and play for Green Bay, Gutekunst stated, “He’ll help us in some form or fashion” against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. “It’s on us to be smart and make sure he’s ready to go.”

According to LaFleur, the head coach’s first exposure to Parsons was during the 2021 Pro Bowl. As LaFleur tells it, most of the players looked like they were there on vacation, while Parsons was competitive throughout the week.

One of the first things out of Parsons’ mouth at the podium was that he was going to wear number 1 with Green Bay, a number that hasn’t been worn since 1929 when Curly Lambeau, the namesake of Lambeau Field, last donned it. Parsons was openly debating whether he should wear 1 or 0 on Twitter earlier today. 0 has never been worn by the Packers, and Green Bay actually turned down the opportunity to give Josh Jacobs that number when he requested it back in 2024.

When asked if he had a choice on where the Cowboys would be trading him, Parsons admitted, “No. I didn’t have any say.” He also stated that he was not told of the trade by the Jones family, who own and run the franchise, but learned about it through his agent.

As far as his early impressions of Green Bay, Parsons said that he’s “super impressed by the facilities” and that “there’s no reason to look outside of the building.” He also praised LaFleur as one of the better coaches in the NFL and discussed how he was impressed by the schemes that the Packers had used to beat the Cowboys during his time in Dallas.

If you would like to listen to all three full press conferences, you can find the video linked below:

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...conference-recap-brian-gutekunst-matt-lafleur
 
Micah Parsons contract details: What it means for the Packers

imagn-26956603.jpg


Alright, now that we’ve finally wrapped our heads around that Micah Parsons is actually a Green Bay Packer, let’s look at his four-year contract extensions with the team, which really acts as a five-year deal because he was already under contract for one season before his trade. For all intents and purposes, this is a new five-year deal, and Parsons’ fifth-year option from his time with the Dallas Cowboys was shredded.

If you want a quick look at the full layout of the deal, here is the table from Spotrac:

Screenshot-2025-08-30-at-1.37.11%E2%80%AFPM.png

Now let’s break down the nitty-gritty here.

Signing bonus

The Packers are known for handing out big signing bonuses, in part because that’s usually the only guaranteed money that they give players on extensions, beyond their first-year salary. In truth, though, Green Bay probably could have gone bigger than the $44 million that they paid to Parsons.

While quarterback Jordan Love has the second-largest signing bonus in the league, Zach Tom has the largest signing bonus among non-Pro Bowl offensive linemen in the NFL and safety Xavier McKinney was only recently surpassed by Kyle Hamilton at the top of his position, Nick Bosa’s $50 million signing bonus on his $34 million average per year contract extension from 2023 actually ranks ahead of Parsons’ $44 million bonus on his $46.5 million average per year deal.

There are other guarantees in this contract, highly unusual for the Packers organization outside of quarterback deals, which is probably one reason why the team probably didn’t feel the need to up the signing bonus number. Of the $45.17 million Parsons will make this year, 97 percent of that will be coming by way of his signing bonus.

Salary

If you just look at the raw salary in Parsons’ deal, he’s going to make $1.17 million in 2025, $2.39 million in 2026, $2.11 million in 2027, $40.55 million in 2028 and $43.55 million in 2029. Salary is how Parsons will make money during the season, as these are game checks.

But this doesn’t mean that Parsons won’t be making big money until his salary jumps massively in 2028. Instead, he has two big option bonuses that will kick in for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

In 2026, that bonus is $38 million. That is already fully guaranteed. In 2027, his bonus will cost $34.44 million and is also guaranteed at signing. These bonuses essentially make up for the low salaries in 2026 and 2027, but put the Packers in a position where they have to declare early on in the offseason about whether or not they’ll be holding onto Parsons for these years, as option bonuses are generally paid out in March near the start of free agency.

What’s interesting is that this sort of gives the Packers some flexibility in the trade market, at least more than if they paid a bigger signing bonus, if this move doesn’t pan out in Green Bay. Is $120 million fully guaranteed at signing? Yes, but the only dead cap currently associated with Parsons’ deal, if they go down the trade route, would be his $44 million signing bonus — which is prorated at $8.8 million per year on the salary cap.

This is all to say: That $44 million dead cap drops by $8.8 million each year that he’s on the team. So in 2026, the dead cap price would be $35.2 million. On the relative scale of mega deals, this is a pretty easy out. If they keep Parsons beyond his 2026 option bonus, though, the Packers are no longer dipping their toe in the water. They’ll be waist-deep and locked into paying Parsons until probably 2029, which we’ll get into detail about later.

Other payments

Beyond Parsons’ signing bonus, option bonuses and salaries, there are a few other aspects of his contract. Every game that he’s active for, he receives a $11,764 roster bonus, a year-long total of $200,000 for each of his five seasons. He also gets a $250,000 workout bonus for showing up to a certain number of voluntary offseason workouts (OTAs) each year.

In 2029, and 2029 only, he has a $1 million roster bonus, which will be paid out if he’s on the team’s 90-man offseason roster in the final year of this deal.

So far, his signing bonus, 2025 salary, 2026 salary and option bonus and 2027 option bonus are fully guaranteed. He has rolling guarantees in his deal, too, in 2027 and 2028. This means that his 2028 salary ($40.55 million) will be guaranteed if he’s on the roster in March of 2027, etc.

Cash flow

From a pure cash flow perspective, Parsons will be making between $38 million and $45.17 million in cash per year with the Packers. It peaks in 2025 with $45.17 million, followed by $40.84 million, $38 million, $41 million and finally $45 million in 2029.

Cap hits…on paper

As far as the cap hits go, they’re well below his average salary for the first three seasons. In 2025, he’ll count about $10 million against the cap. Then it’ll be $19.24 million in 2026 and $26.85 million in 2027. In total, the Packers will have paid him $124 million over those three seasons and will have only accounted for $56.09 million of that (45 percent) on their salary cap for those seasons.

An interesting part of his contract is that there are two void years added to the end of the five years, which will help the team spread the option bonuses of 2026 ($38 million) and 2027 ($34.44 million) over five seasons of cap accounting. So from 2026 to 2030, the Packers will be paying $7.6 million on the cap each season for Parsons’ $38 million 2026 option bonus. From 2027 to 2031, the Packers will be paying $6.89 million on the cap each season for Parsons’ $34.44 million 2027 option bonus.

The dead cap, the option bonuses and void years

Because of the unique structure of this deal, there are really two outs for the Packers if stuff starts to turn south.

The first opportunity they have to get out of the deal is actually the 2026 offseason, before his $38 million option bonus is paid. Because the only dead money on the deal, in a trade, would be the prorated $44 million signing bonus, the Packers can basically get out after paying him $45 million for the 2025 season and would only have to eat $35.2 million.

Of course, it would also take a trade suitor to be willing to take him on.

If Green Bay is willing to go down the path of Parsons making the 2026 roster — which is a near lock to happen — then he’s basically going to be locked down by the Packers through at least the 2027 season.

Because of the roster bonuses (which will allow the cap accounting to be spread over five years) and the void years tagged at the end of the deal (ensuring that there will be five years to spread those 2026 and 2027 roster bonuses over), this sort of functions as a three-year contract that will pay Parsons around $124 million cash ($41.33 million per year).

Why a three-year deal? Because in 2028 Parsons’ cap hit balloons to $64.29 million, more than his 2025-2027 cap hits combined ($56.02). At that point, the Packers will probably renegotiate his deal. In the 2028 season, he’ll have a dead cap of $67.95 million if the team wants to move on from him, so it’ll be unlikely that the team will trade him until at least 2029, as long as they choose to keep him through his 2026 roster bonus.

The amount of cap space they will have pushed forward by that point will simply be too much to warrant any movement. Even if the Packers have the stomach to have Parsons to play out his $63.84 million and $66.84 million cap hits in 2028 and 2029 (the highest non-quarterback cap hit in the league right now is $38.15 million this year), then they’re still on the hook for $21.37 million in cash accounting on the Parsons contract in 2030, a year in which he’ll no longer be under contract with the team.

In truth, the Packers will probably have to convert at least some of that 2028 salary ($40.55 million) into a signing bonus to lower his cap hit down from $63.84 million. So you can go ahead and assume that the credit card debt in 2030 will be much higher than the $21.37 million that will be on the books if he plays out his full deal as is.

Make no mistake: The Packers are manufacturing a title window. Their plan is to put Parsons on salary cap credit cards. Eventually, they will come due. My best guess is this isn’t going to happen over the next three years, though, and might not come until 2030. By that point, though, the NFL will have a new media rights deal, which is expected to balloon cap numbers beginning with the 2030 season, right around when Green Bay probably has to start really paying off this debt.

The Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles continue to spend money while they’re in cap debt, because they’re making the bet that pushing cap hits into the future will actually make the deals they’re signing more efficient. If $28 million is 10 percent of the cap now, and the league is increasing the salary cap at about a $25 million pace BEFORE the next huge set of television deals, then maybe that $28 million might be only 5 percent in 2030. If that’s the direction you think the league is moving in, why not just kick the can down the road and let cap inflation cut the cap cost (from a percentage standpoint) of these payments by half?

That’s the road that Eagles GM Howie Roseman is on. The Parsons deal hints that Packers GM Brian Gutekunst might be thinking along the same lines now that Green Bay is fully out of the cap debt they built up around their final runs with Aaron Rodgers under center.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...rsons-contract-details-cap-hits-dead-cap-2025
 
Rookie WR Matthew Golden changes number

imagn-26738139.jpg


After Texas receiver Matthew Golden was selected in the first round by the Green Bay Packers, they originally gave him the number 81. Quickly, he pivoted to the number 22, which he’s worn since.

On Saturday, though, Golden changed his number to 0, marking the first time ever that a Packer has worn that number. Previously, this number has been off-limits for Green Bay’s players, ever since the NFL allowed for the number to be worn again beginning in 2023. But number 1 hasn’t been worn in nearly 100 years, and that was just given to pass-rusher Micah Parsons.

Times are a-changing, and so are jersey numbers.

Beyond Golden, the Packers also announced on Saturday that running back Emanuel Wilson will be changing from 31 to 23, which was previously worn by running back Israel Abanikanda, now a member of the Packers’ practice squad. Abanikanda will switch to 28, which was worn this summer by linebacker Isaiah Simmons, who was released at cutdowns.

At Texas, Golden wore number 2, which is currently held by Green Bay backup quarterback Malik Willis. Wilson wore 1 at Fort Valley State, while Abanikanda also wore 2 at Pittsburgh.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...kers-news-matthew-golden-jersey-number-change
 
The Quick, Dirty, Simple Math on Why Micah Parsons is Worth It

gettyimages-1940064839.jpg


I probably don’t need to convince you, the Packer fan, that giving up two firsts, and Kenny Clark for a top-three (and I would argue “the best”) defensive player in football is worth it, but not everyone is a Packer fan. But some people are not Packer fans. Some people are neutral, or hostile, or Jerry Jones, and those folks may not be convinced of just how monumental an upgrade this is. For instance, this guy, who you can tell is smart because his last name is the word people use to describe smart gamblers.

The Packers gave up two first round picks for a defensive player?!

Bwahahahahha https://t.co/4YB51NpUr2

— Lee Sharpe (@LeeSharpeNFL) August 28, 2025

Before I get into my own (honestly not that gory) math, check out Aaron Schatz of FTN’s gory math:

The Packers D just got a serious upgrade 💥 @aaronschatz.com

FTN Fantasy (@ftnfantasy.com) 2025-08-28T21:46:47.070Z

That’s a big jump! Aaron also notes elsewhere that defensive players are seldom worth more than a one win, and he’s right, but I suspect this is the outlier. The exception that proves the rule. About a year ago, I wrote about why the baseball Wins Above Replacement (WAR) statistics can never work in football. I stand by that, but I think understanding why that’s the case will help explain why Parsons is far more valuable than any other non-quarterback.

The short version of the WAR problem in football is as follows:

  1. You’re splitting 17 available wins among 53 players.
  2. Of those 53, quarterbacks eat up at least 1-2 wins, and good quarterbacks can account for 6-8, so now we’re splitting 11-14 wins among 52 players.
  3. A tenth of a win in WAR is so small that there’s no way to account for noise, randomness, and luck for anyone but the QB. We know that running backs provide some value, but it’s so small that it’s literally difficult to quantify.

Defensive players are also tricky in terms of assigning individual value because, for instance, if you’re an elite cornerback, the quarterback can simply choose not to throw at you. That’s valuable, but it is again a tricky value to quantify. Organizations like PFF briefly held that a top corner was more valuable than an edge rusher when they were doing their WAR research (though it was close), and I think that’s wrong. It’s not an unreasonable case because you need more corners than edge rushers, which adds to their scarcity, and the athleticism to play high-level corner really is rare, like short stops in baseball. And a good corner can serve to shrink the field for the other corners and safeties in the secondary. Corners are undoubtedly valuable, and if nothing else, more valuable than every other defensive position than edge rusher.

But I’m fairly sure that edge rushers are more valuable, and elite edge rushers like Parsons are more valuable to an absurd extent, for two main reasons.

  1. You can’t avoid edge rushers like you can corners.
  2. Edge rushers uniquely impact quarterbacks, who are the most valuable players in football.

Defenses fluctuate wildly in value from year to year, specifically because the quality of the offenses and quarterbacks they’re facing is such a HUGE factor in how they perform, and because the reactive nature of defense is so much less predictable. The offense is much more stable and predictable for the simple reason that the offense has the ball! Sometimes football isn’t actually that complicated.

But not EVERYTHING on defense is reactive. Defense (well, pass defense, the most important defense) is basically an equation, where X = the maximum time your secondary can cover people, and Y = the time it takes for the pass rush to cause pressure. If X>Y, the defense will be good. A good corner can marginally increase X by blanketing the opposing best receiver, and/or making the quarterback take the time to identify where he is and who he’s covering. That’s helpful! But Micah Parsons, and elite edge rushers, DRASTICALLY reduce Y, which helps literally everyone on the defense, a lot. Even bad corners can cover for the length of a Parsons pass rush. Even poor safeties can capitalize on the errant throws caused by having him in your face. Parsons doesn’t just reduce Y, he also causes splash plays, sacks, turnovers, and entire offensive game plan adjustments.

There are really and truly only a few players like this. I could tell you various statistics like that over his career. Parsons leads the league in pass rush win rate at 30% and no one else is within 4 percentage points of that. I could mention that the only two pass rushers in football who are even in the ballpark with Parsons’ underlying numbers are Myles Garrett, who is entering his age 30 season, and Aidan Hutchinson, who is returning from a serious injury, though only 25 and likely to recover fine.

And most importantly, edge rushers are NOT reactive. The pass rush is the only part of the defense that is proactive, because it’s the position that attacks the one player on offense who MUST possess the ball (especially on passing plays), and so the quarterback cannot simply avoid it by not targeting it. The “LOL the Packers paid for a defensive player” sentiment above is, charitably, a bizarre oversimplification. Bucketing Micah Parsons, a 26-year-old on a hall-of-fame trajectory, with normal defensive players is something you should think twice about. The Packers have, after all, gone to this well before, with Reggie White, Charles Woodson, and I would also argue Julius Peppers. All three were not just elite, but among the most elite players ever to play football. I personally think Parsons is on a similar trajectory, as he is one of only eight players in NFL history (Al Baker, who holds the single season sack record, Derrick Thomas, JJ Watt, Jack Youngblood, Danielle Hunter, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Quinn, being the other seven) to record more than 50 sacks prior to his age 26 season.

One might argue that the Packers trading for a player and then paying him a market value contract will negate any surplus value that Parsons might provide, but this misses the realities of the NFL salary cap. Because there are so few wins to split between a full NFL roster, but so many players need to be paid, it’s essentially impossible to overpay a one-win (or more) player. Just for reference, the Bears’ Khalil Mack trade has been raised as a comparable for this deal more than a few times, and that trade is viewed by some as a failure, but it’s worth noting:

  1. Parsons is a year younger than Mack was when he was traded.
  2. The Bears allowed the 9th fewest points (320) the year before acquiring Mack, and the fewest points (283) the following year while upping their record from 5-11 under John Fox to 12-4 under Matt Nagy.
  3. In Mack’s second season, Mitch Trubisky and the offense crashed and burned, but Mack and the defense were still great, finishing fourth in points allowed with 296.

The problem with Mack was more about the rest of the Bears than anything, and that is simply not the situation with the Packers. Green Bay under Matt LaFleur consistently runs one of the most efficient offenses in football. It’s not perfect, but it’s unlikely to be below average. The Packers have been good, but not great, contenders for multiple seasons, and this is the kind of move that can push you over the top, as was the case with White, and Woodson.

And so, now when the Packers face the Lions, where speeding up Jared Goff’s clock is just about the most important thing a defense can do, instead of watching Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell capably handle Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness with relative ease, we get to watch them figure out how to stop one of the league’s best pass rushers, and also handle those other guys. Now the Bears have to take several extra steps to protect their extremely sack-prone second-year quarterback. Now, instead of friendly, clean pockets, young JJ McCarthy has to deal with a horror show.

Individual quarterbacks are the only position worth multiple wins in football, and so, to steal those wins from them is the next most valuable thing you can do. Micah Parsons does it better than literally anyone else in the league.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-simple-math-on-why-micah-parsons-is-worth-it
 
Former Packer Terrence Murphy joins sports ownership group

gettyimages-459577120.jpg


Last week, Atlético Dallas, a soccer club that is planning on debuting in the USL in 2027, announced that former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Terrence Murphy has joined the team’s ownership group as an investor. A Texas native, Murphy was drafted in the second round of the 2005 draft before medically retiring from the NFL due to a narrowing of his spine. During the 2007 season, Murphy returned to Green Bay as a coaching intern, but has since found success as an entrepreneur.

Now, he’s back in sports. The United Soccer League Championship is the second division in the American soccer pyramid, only behind Major League Soccer. Over the next three years, the USL’s 24-team league will expand quickly, adding squads in Brooklyn, Jacksonville, Santa Barbara, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Dallas and Arkansas.

At the moment, only one USL team plays in a stadium with a capacity over 20,000: Birmingham Legion FC, which plays at UAB’s football field, Protective Stadium. They share that 47,100-seat stadium with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions as well as the Birmingham Bowl.

But everything is bigger in Texas, right? Atlético Dallas is not only going to play in the largest stadium in the league, but they’re playing in a historic stadium with more than twice the capacity of anyone else: the Cotton Bowl. Beyond one-off bowls and rivalry games like the Red River Shootout, the only consistent tenants at the Cotton Bowl since FC Dallas left the stadium in 2005 have been the USLS’ Dallas Trinity FC, a women’s soccer team. Now, they’ll have a stadium partner in Atlético Dallas.

Here’s what Murphy had to say about the Cotton Bowl in an interview with the club’s website:

“The Cotton Bowl has a lot of history—just like Texas A&M. My senior year, we were able to accomplish a goal by being awarded the bid to play in the New Year’s Cotton Bowl Classic. It was something I always grew up watching, and it was a great experience to be able to play in one of the top bowls in college football.”

He’s also apparently doing very well in business:

“I started my first venture, TM5, and scaled it to $1.5B in sales in less than 8 years. That start-up company had offers to be acquired, which introduced me to M&A and Venture Capital Investing. I have recently surpassed these milestones in my career: $5B in sales and acquisitions, and I’ve built, acquired, or invested in 110 companies under the Terrence Murphy Companies portfolio.”

Good for Murphy. Hopefully, his team does well.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...e-murphy-usfl-atletico-dallas-ownership-groun
 
Micah Parsons has been effective vs. Lions’ Penei Sewell

gettyimages-1437052274.jpg


Apparently, new Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons has had some success going against Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell in head-to-head matchups in the past. Parsons moves around, but he’s received opportunities to play against Sewell, who was drafted in the same class as him, when Parsons was a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Here’s a stat from NFL Pro:

Penei Sewell has allowed a pressure rate of 7.3% since 2022, 8th-lowest among 58 tackles with at least 1000 pass blocks in that span. In that same timeframe, new Packer Micah Parsons has generated a pressure rate of 20.0%, leading the NFL (min. 500 pass rushes). Parsons lined up on the left edge on 59.0% of plays last season, which would project a matchup with right tackle Sewell. In two career games against each other, Sewell and Parsons have lined up opposite each other on 30 pass plays. Parsons has generated 6 pressures (20.0%), tied for the highest pressure rate Sewell has allowed to any single pass rusher in his career (min. 25 matchups).

So Sewell’s pressure rate nearly triples against Parsons versus the average pass-rusher. Meanwhile, Parsons’ pressure rate remains consistent with his average.

If you want a look at what these pressures looked like, here’s a cutup:

Micah Parsons' pressures vs Penei Sewell via NFL Pro pic.twitter.com/V2dx0Cv1gs

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) September 2, 2025

According to NFL Pro, Lions quarterback Jared Goff had the second-highest completion percentage in the NFL last year (81.8 percent), but that fell to the 17th-highest (52 percent) when he was pressured. Detroit has mostly kept Goff clean in his tenure at quarterback there, but the changes on their interior offensive line and Parsons’ success against Sewell could tip the scales in the Week 1 matchup.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ewell-pressure-rate-stats-2025-week-1-matchup
 
Back
Top