Matt LaFleur Recalls First Impressions of Micah Parsons From 2021 Pro Bowl

Micah Parsons impressed Matt LaFleur during the 2021 Pro Bowl games because he took the friendly affair seriously.

Matt LaFleur Recalls First Impressions of Micah Parsons From 2021 Pro Bowl

Micah Parsons and Matt LaFleur (Image via Imago/X)

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Matt LaFleur’s wish is now a reality. Micah Parsons is finally a part of the Green Bay Packers. Roughly two days after the 53-man roster locks, the Packers sent two first-round picks and a Pro Bowler to the Dallas Cowboys to acquire Parsons. It may seem as if the Packers managed to sway Jerry Jones’ heart within a couple of weeks, but the reality is very different.

LaFleur, in particular, has waited for the day to arrive since he experienced coaching Parsons for the first time during the 2021 Pro Bowl games (discontinued), his rookie season. He was tasked with leading the NFC team in a friendly fixture against players from the AFC.

The AFC-NFC game was a staple of the Pro Bowl games for a long time before it was scrapped. As it’s sandwiched between the regular and postseason, athletes tend to approach the event in a lighthearted manner.

Micah Parsons was different. LaFleur witnessed Parsons attacking every snap with the same intensity as a regular-season game. Since then, he has had his eye on the Harrisburg native. He had even rung up several coaches throughout the league to confirm his hunch about Parsons. He said during a recent media availability:

He was trying to wreck shop out there, and he was trying to win...[Coaches will] tell you [Micah’s] the ultimate competitor. Whatever it is you’re playing, he’s going to want to win. I don’t think he’s very apologetic about that, which is so exciting as a coach to get a guy like that. I think that just elevates everybody around him.

LaFleur faced Parsons’ Cowboys twice since his debut season. Their first game ended in a 31-28 win for the Packers, and the following one was a 48-32 blowout victory in the 2023 wildcard round. So, LaFleur has a fair idea of the challenges offensive coordinators face while drawing up methods to contain the 26-year-old.

NFL insider revealed how Micah Parsons secured a record-breaking contract extension

Parsons grew up supporting the Cowboys despite living in a neighborhood dominated by Philadelphia Eagles fans. He was over the moon when the Cowboys drafted him 12th overall.

Matt LaFleur Recalls First Impressions of Micah Parsons From 2021 Pro Bowl
Micah Parsons lands a hit on the Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (Image via IMAGO)

The joy only lasted four seasons. After the Cowboys picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option, it more or less guaranteed that the All-Pro edge rusher will sign a new deal. Jones was optimistic from the start. He vowed to make Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

The veteran Cowboys owner offered a $40 million extension in April, which Micah quickly turned down because Jones refused to negotiate with his agent, David Mulugheta. In the meantime, the market was set by multiple extensions to TJ Watt, Maxx Crosby, and Myles Garrett.

Jones added $1 million to his initial offer to match Watt and Garrett. However, the number wasn’t sufficient to bring Parsons’ side to the negotiating table. Mulugheta struck a deal with the Packers, landing his client a $47 million AAV deal. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on The Insiders:

Jerry Jones said when they had their negotiations with Micah Parsons, they got to what he thought was an agreement, which was about $41 million or a little less per year in new money. He thought they were done. The agents wanted to keep going. The Packers kept going. It is $47 million per year in new money on the extension. Micah Parsons’ agents did right by him. That is a $6 million-plus difference.

A mixture of joy and relief swept through the Parsons household in Dallas following his trade. A clip showed Parsons giving his mother a tight hug.

Parsons is only the second LB in the NFL era (besides former Packer Reggie White) to record 12+ sacks in his first four seasons. He currently stands on 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, and 9 forced fumbles.

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