It's been nearly three months now since the Green Bay Packers pulled off one of the biggest trades in franchise history (the biggest is still easily Brett Favre), swindling the Dallas Cowboys to acquire four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons. But even now, it's still sometimes hard to believe the Packers were able to pull that deal off, as general manager Brian Gutekunst only had to part with a pair of first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to bring a generational talent to Green Bay.
What isn't so hard to believe, however, is that Parsons is once again having a phenomenal season and is well on his way to earning a fifth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl and a fourth All-Pro selection.
Heading into Green Bay's Week 12 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, Parsons had racked up a team-high 8.0 sacks on the season, 5.5 of which came in the previous five weeks. The 26-year-old failed to get to fellow Big Ten alum J.J. McCarthy in the first half but finally took the Michigan product down with just under 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter. And just over seven minutes later, Parsons got to the struggling second-year signal-caller again, thus becoming the first Packers player to reach double-digit sacks in a season since Za'Darius Smith recorded 12.5 in 2020.
But even more impressively, Parsons became just the second player since sacks became an official NFL stat in 1982 to tally at least 10 sacks in each of his first five seasons, the only other being none other than the legendary Reggie White, who, incredibly, hit double digits in each of his first nine seasons. Yes, you read that correctly—nine seasons in a row.
Micah Parsons says 10 sacks are the "minimum" he expects from himself
White, of course, spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, racking up a ridiculous 124.0 sacks during that stretch, which would put him in the top 30 all-time had he never played another down for anyone else.
The Tennessee alum continued his double-digit streak in his first year with the Packers in 1993, recording 13.0 sacks, before finally seeing his streak come to an end with 8.0 in 1994. White went on to tally at least 10 in three of his final four seasons in Green Bay, ultimately ending his Packers career with 68.5. He then added another 5.5 in his final NFL season in 2000 with the Carolina Panthers to close his career with 198.5, good for the second-most all-time behind only Bruce Smith's 200.0.
Parsons downplayed the accomplishment in the aftermath of the Packers' 23-6 win over the Vikings, saying that 10 sacks is the "minimum" of what he expects from himself on a yearly basis.
"I wouldn't say it's like a feat where it's very easy or anything like that," Parsons said. "But you know, it's a standard of play.
"Me and CeeDee Lamb used to say 1,000 yards is like the minimum," Parsons said when discussing conversations he used to have with his former Cowboys teammate. "So I feel like 10 sacks for the standard of player you are, that should be the minimum you should get. For me, mine was just always 10 sacks."
Parsons' 10.0 sacks are currently good for the fifth-most in the NFL, and he'll look to add to his total this Thursday when the Packers head to the Motor City for a crucial Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Detroit Lions.