Why is Green Bay Packers superstar Micah Parsons being compared to a baseball player?
When the Green Bay Packers acquired edge rusher Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys just before the regular season began, just about everyone started taking the Packers seriously as Super Bowl contenders.
Now, here we are with just five games left to play, and Green Bay is sitting at 8-3-1 and is coming off of a statement win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, thanks much in part to Parsons logging eight tackles and 2.5 sacks in the victory.
On the campaign as a whole, Parsons has racked up 38 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits, and most importantly, he leads the NFL with seven fourth-quarter sacks.
That's why Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has likened Parsons to legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.
“Whether it was three outs or one out or whatever it was, he was going to put them down,” Hafley said of Rivera, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I told Micah that’s who he is. He needs to put people to sleep, so I think he’s a fan.”
Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons. Credit: Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.Rivera was famously called "The Sandman" for putting hitters — and teams — to sleep in the ninth inning, and Parsons has been doing something similar for Green Bay in 2025.
Parsons knew next to nothing about baseball until Hafley started educating him, but the Rivera comparison is pretty apt for Parsons, who is on pace to register a career high in sacks.
The 26-year-old was originally selected by the Cowboys with the 12th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons in Dallas, rattling off double-digit sack campaigns each year.
Parsons topped out at 14 sacks in 2023, finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his first two campaigns with the Cowboys and accumulating 52.5 sacks throughout his tenure in Dallas.
But one thing Parsons never got to do with the Cowboys was compete for a Super Bowl, as Dallas never made it past the Divisional Round throughout his time in Big D.
Now, though, Parsons appears to have a legitimate chance of capturing his first Lombardi trophy in the tundra, as the Packers appear to be rounding into form at the perfect tme.
Green Bay will face the Chicago Bears in an NFC North showdown next Sunday.