The moment Aaron Rodgers changed Micah Parsons’ career forever
As the Packers and Steelers get ready to face each other this week, Micah Parsons recalls a moment with Aaron Rodgers that stuck with him forever.
Back in 2022, when Micah Parsons was in his second year in the NFL, still with the Dallas Cowboys, he faced Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, and it didn’t go well for him. The Packers erased a 28–14 deficit to stun the Cowboys 31–28 in overtime, and Parsons recorded just one tackle for a loss and one pressure, but had no sacks or quarterback hits.
The Packers stun the Cowboys in OT and snap their 5-game losing streak
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 14, 2022
Aaron Rodgers finished with 3 TDS pic.twitter.com/dsUKbKQIUz
Parsons walked off Lambeau Field frustrated and exhausted. He’d been sick all week, and it was not his best day. But what happened after the final whistle is what Parsons still remembers most.
Rodgers-Parsons moment comes full circle in 2025
When the game was over, Aaron Rodgers, the future Hall of Famer who had just engineered another signature comeback, walked across the field, straight toward Parsons.
“He was like, ‘I want to trade jerseys with you,’” Parsons said. “And I’m like, ‘The GOAT, Rodgers, wants to trade jerseys with me?’”
Because of his performance that day, Parsons thought Rodgers was joking. He wasn’t.
Micah Parsons still has Aaron Rodgers’ No. 12 jersey in his man cave. He thought Rodgers was joking when he wanted to swap in 2022.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 22, 2025
“He’s become one of my favorite players just because of that moment.”
Story on a new and old Packer ahead of Sunday night: https://t.co/tExgTmapSI pic.twitter.com/DvyiYO1I9J
At the time, Rodgers was coming off back-to-back MVP seasons, while Parsons was only in his second year. He was already one of the NFL’s brightest young stars, but still, getting that kind of respect from Rodgers meant something to him.
“To me, it’s a great sign of respect,” Parsons said. “Just the type of guy he is, that he could recognize such a young player in the league, so I have nothing but respect for him and he’s become one of my favorite players just because of that moment.”
Even before that matchup, Rodgers had called the young linebacker “a one-of-one” and “the kind of player you just can’t coach.” And Parsons has more than lived up to that reputation since. Now one of the league’s highest-paid non-quarterbacks and the face of the Packers’ defense, he’s coming off his first three-sack game in a comeback win over the Cardinals.
This Sunday, the story comes full circle. Rodgers, now leading the Pittsburgh Steelers, faces his old team for the first time, while Parsons anchors the Packers’ defense against the quarterback who once handed him his jersey, and a vote of confidence.
“He’s 1-0 against me for sure,” Parsons said. “I never got him either… I’m excited to play him.”
“The football side, I’m ready to get my rematch, but the personal side, I appreciate ‘Rodg’ for that because that gave me a boost of confidence. He just said ‘keep going’ and how much he believed in me, so that was big. He didn’t have to do that.”
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