Micah Parsons' record-setting contract means Packers will have to defy history to win Super Bowl
Green Bay has more than $100 million per year tied up in two players
By
John Breech
•
4 min read
The Green Bay Packers pulled off one of the most surprising trades in NFL history on Thursday when they acquired Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. The only thing more shocking than the trade was the contract that came with it.
The Packers gave Parsons a record-setting deal that blew every other non-quarterback contract out of the water. Parsons is getting a four-year, $188 million contract that will pay him an average of $47 million per year. That's a $6 million increase over the old record, which was set back in July when T.J. Watt signed a deal worth $41 million per year.
To put Parsons' salary in perspective, just consider this: He's now making more than Patrick Mahomes, who has a contract that averages $45 million per year.
Parsons certainly deserves the money, but the problem with giving a player big money is that it simply hasn't translated to Super Bowl success.
Here's a look at the 10 highest paid non-quarterbacks:
| Player | Team | Average annual value |
|---|---|---|
| Micah Parsons (EDGE) | Packers | $47 million |
| T.J. Watt (EDGE) | Steelers | $41 million |
| Ja'Marr Chase (WR) | Bengals | $40.25 million |
| Myles Garrett (EDGE) | Browns | $40 million |
| Danielle Hunter (EDGE) | Texans | $35.6 million |
| Maxx Crosby (EDGE) | Raiders | $35.5 million |
| Justin Jefferson (WR) | Vikings | $35 million |
| CeeDee Lamb (WR) | Cowboys | $34 million |
| Nick Bosa (EDGE) | 49ers | $34 million |
| DK Metcalf (WR) | Steelers | $33 million |
Including Parsons, there are 10 non-quarterbacks in the NFL making at least $33 million per year, and none of them have ever won a Super Bowl, which raises a lot of questions about the best way to build a roster in the NFL. As a matter of fact, only two of the players on the list have ever even been to a Super Bowl (Chase and Bosa).
Now, before everyone in Green Bay gets mad, the Packers are definitely a Super Bowl contender in 2025. The team had already built a strong cap-friendly roster before the trade, and adding Parsons only makes it better. It's the future the franchise is going to have to worry about.
The salary cap is $279.2 million per team for 2025 and it will only go up, but $47 million is a steep price to pay for one player. You can buy a lot of players for that money -- just ask the Vikings.
The Vikings are paying a total of $48M for Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave this season (2025 cap numbers).
— vikesinsider (@vikesinsider) August 28, 2025
The Packers are paying Micah Parsons $47M APY.
With the Packers paying Parsons $47 million per year and Jordan Love making $55 million per year, there could be some cap flexibility issues down the road. For instance, Love has a $75 million cap hit in 2028 that the team is going to have to get under control.
Love is one of the 10 highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL heading into 2025, and none of the quarterbacks on the current list have ever won a Super Bowl. (Only two -- Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy -- have even been to a Super Bowl, but they both made it while still playing on their rookie deals.)
Also, the Packers just gave up two first-round picks, so they won't be able to cheaply fill any holes they might have on their roster over the next two years. Parsons is the 11th non-quarterback over the past 40 years to be traded for two first-round picks, and only one of the previous 10 teams eventually won a Super Bowl after giving up two first-round picks to acquire a player. (The Rams traded for Jalen Ramsey in 2019 and eventually won a Super Bowl with him in 2021.)
Any trade like this is a high-risk move, because not only are you giving up draft capital, but you're also almost always handing out a sizable contract to the player you acquired, which can hamper your ability to build a roster down the road.
With the Packers, Love and Parsons will be making a total of $102 million per year, which makes them the first duo in NFL history to cross the $100 million threshold. There are 10 tandems that currently make an average of at least $80 million per year combined, and only one of those tandems has won a Super Bowl.
| Players | Team | Combined average annual value |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Love / Micah Parsons | Packers | $102 million |
| Joe Burrow / Ja'Marr Chase | Bengals | $95.25 million |
| Dak Prescott / CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys | $94 million |
| Brock Purdy / Nick Bosa | 49ers | $87 million |
| Deshaun Watson / Myles Garrett | Browns | $86 million |
| Tua Tagovailoa / Tyreek Hill | Dolphins | $83.1 million |
| Trevor Lawrence / Josh Hines-Allen | Jaguars | $83.25 million |
| Jared Goff / Amon-Ra St. Brown | Lions | $83 million |
| Jalen Hurts / A.J. Brown | Eagles | $83 million |
| Justin Herbert / Rashawn Slater | Chargers | $81 million |
One team you don't see on the list above is the Chiefs, and that's because Mahomes has happily played on a below-market deal so that Kansas City can build the best team possible around him.
The one duo who has won a Super Bowl with at least $80 million tied up in two players is Philadelphia. The Eagles have learned how to play the salary cap game: You pay your guys early (something Jerry Jones has yet to learn), use void years and restructure deals when you have to. There's also an element of luck involved: You need your high draft picks to hit -- like the Eagles have -- but the Packers won't have that luxury over the next two years since they don't have any first-round picks.
The point here is that tying all of your money up into two players can be a risky move in the NFL, and giving up two first-round picks in a trade can be even riskier. When it comes to both of those moves, they rarely pay off. From a talent standpoint, adding Parsons was a no-brainer, but it certainly remains to be seen if the Packers' bold gamble will pay off.
