GREEN BAY – Jeff Hafley was sitting in his Lambeau Field office last Thursday when Matt LaFleur walked in with a phone call for his defensive coordinator.
No words need be spoken. No explanation required. Only the smile on the face of the Packers head coach that Hafley quickly mirrored as he deduced who was on the other end of the line.
It was indeed Micah Parsons, the three-time All-Pro who was headed to Green Bay following a blockbuster trade with Dallas. The generational pass rusher every NFL team covets was now a resident of Hafley's defense.
"That's really how I found out," said Hafley on Thursday. "It's all of a sudden Micah Parsons walks in the building and it's game week and my mind starts going 100 miles an hour on all the ways that you can use him."
Hafley was part of the team's envoy at Austin-Straubel Airport when Parsons flew into Green Bay to complete one of the biggest trades in franchise history last Friday.
All Hafley has done in week that has followed is prepare for Sunday's home opener against Detroit and crunch Parsons' tape, watching every single pressure the 6-foot-3, 250-pound pass rusher has generated in his four Pro Bowl seasons.
That's 335 pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats – good for a league-best 21.1% pressure rate since 2021. Asked what that process has been like, Hafley responded in a single word.
"Fun," said the second-year defensive coordinator before elaborating. "You just turn on his pressure tape and the guy can win. The guy can win with speed. The guy can win by going through a tackle. The guy can win coming inside and win fast. The guy's won on guards, he's won on centers, he won as a standup linebacker. So just turn on the highlight film and have fun."
Parsons has been one of the NFL's most versatile and dangerous pass rushers since he broke into the league in 2021, producing 112 quarterback hits and 52½ sacks in 63 regular-season starts.
As excited as Hafley is to welcome that type of game-wrecker to his defense, the Packers and Parsons are in the midst of a transitionary period right now.
The 26-year-old pass rusher is not only learning the Packers' scheme on short notice but also working through a back injury that sidelined him throughout training camp.
Parsons reported progress in both areas after being a limited participant in Thursday's practice. Champing at the bit to play but also seeing the big picture, Parsons has worked closely with the training staff during his ramp-up period.
He's participated in all three practices this week but leaving his availability for Sunday's opener against the Lions "completely up to the coaches" and athletic trainers to decide.
"Once I get out there, I'm just gonna wanna go," Parsons said. "At the same time, I do have to get healthy, I do have to do all those little things to make sure there's a longevity piece in this. It is 18 weeks. There are hopes for playoff run and a long playoff run, so we have to think about that and make sure that everything is good to go."
In terms of the playbook itself, Parsons credits Hafley and the defensive coaches for helping him be "about 80% there." Aiding that process has been extra time spent with defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington outside of meetings this past week.
It also helps to have a supportive locker room that has embraced Parsons with open arms. Pro Bowl defensive end Rashan Gary was one of the first to reach out and has remained in constant contact with Parsons since he came to Green Bay.
Parsons' adversaries on the practice field have been equally welcoming. He even reported having plans to play ping-pong with Green Bay's tight ends after the Thursday workday.
"I tell ya, I've never been in a locker room with guys like this," Parsons said. "I came in Tuesday for treatment, and I saw like almost every guy in the locker room. I said, 'This is the first time I've ever seen this.' And that just shows how much these guys want to be here. … When you're around guys like that, it makes it exciting to come to work."
On the other end of the classroom, Hafley has been impressed with how quickly Parsons processes information. Pairing his high football aptitude with prodigious athletic traits, there really isn't anything Parsons can't do in the defensive front.
The challenge for Hafley and Co. is determining exactly where Parsons will be deployed and the domino effect it'll have on the rest of the defense. But those are good problems to have for a defense looking to dial up the pressure in 2025.
"As we get a feel for him and what he can do, I think we'll just continue to build and go from there," Hafley said. "I think we're going to evolve and figure it out as we do get going, but obviously he's capable of doing a lot of different things and affecting a lot of different areas of the field, and I'm very excited that he's here."
