1 last-minute trade Packers must make before Week 1 of 2025 NFL season

The Green Bay Packers are ready to make some noise when the 2025 NFL season kicks off in a few weeks. Green Bay had a solid 2024 campaign, winning 11 games. But they just so happened to play in the NFC North alongside two teams that won 14+ games. Sometimes, the NFL just comes down to luck.

The Packers attacked the 2025 offseason with the tenacity of a team that wants to take that next step. Green Bay added some key pieces, namely CB Nate Hobbs and G Aaron Banks, during NFL free agency. They even broke from their usual strategy and drafted WR Matthew Golden in the first round.

These are all steps in the right direction. But they may not be enough to get the Packers back to the postseason in 2025.

The Packers have been good, not great, for a long time now. It feels like Green Bay could use one superstar player to put themselves over the hump.

If that happens, the Packers could become a frightening team in the NFC.

Below we will explore one last-minute trade the Packers need to pull off before Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.

The Packers should pay whatever it takes to get Micah Parsons from the Cowboys

1 last-minute trade Packers must make before Week 1 of 2025 NFL season — Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Yes, let’s get into it. The Packers need to trade for Micah Parsons.

Here are my hypothetical trade terms before we get into any analysis:

Packers receive:

EDGE Micah Parsons

Cowboys receive:

2026 first-round pick
2027 first-round pick
2028 second-round pick
EDGE Lukas Van Ness

I mean it when I say that the Packers need to pay whatever it takes to acquire Parsons.

It is extremely rare that a player of Parsons’ caliber is on the trade block. Dallas may not want to trade Parsons, but he does not want to be in Dallas anymore.

To simply the matter, the addition of Parsons alone could have a cascading impact on Green Bay’s defense. That should have Green Bay’s front office open to making a major splash for a superstar player.

And I’m not the only one who thinks this is a possibility.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes the Packers are a serious trade suitor for Parsons.

“I would expect that the Packers would be among the teams interested. And I would say I would expect that the Packers would be among the teams really interested,” Rapoport said on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Monday. “They have paid Jordan Love, they have a bunch of really good young players…but they have money to spend, and they are really good. So that’s the kind of team that I would say if Micah was going to be traded, that he’d be going to because it’s like, ‘We need one final piece, this guy is an absolute dog, he’s worth all the money, so pay him all the money.’ God only knows what [David] Mulugheta would make that contract; it’d be all of it. But it’d be worth it because you’d get Micah Parsons.”

The cost to acquire Parsons is extremely high.

Even if you ignore the assets needed to pull off a trade, there’s a new contract to consider.

Parsons will almost certainly require a long-term contract extension that will make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.

Is Parsons really worth it?

Would adding Micah Parsons morph the Packers into a contender?

Let’s start by noting that Green Bay is already a good team.

They may not currently be viewed as contenders, but they did win 11 games in 2024.

With that out of the way, adding Parsons could certainly transform Green Bay’s defense into one of the best in the league.

The way that Parsons could become a force multiplier for Green Bay’s pass rush has to be the most enticing part of acquiring him.

The Packers already have a solid pass rush unit. In fact, they logged 45 sacks as a defense in 2024. That’s up there with the Buccaneers, Giants, and Seahawks.

Imagine the possibilities of adding Parsons to that unit.

Parsons had a down season in 2024, only playing in 13 games. But he still managed 12 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Parsons’ ability to rush the passer does more than simply generate sacks and pressures. Getting to the QB quicker helps a secondary not have to hold up in coverage as long.

The Packers’ secondary looks a bit weaker in 2025 without Jaire Alexander. So they would be thrilled if Parsons helps solve that problem too.

In reality, the Cowboys may be stubborn enough to hold onto Parsons for the entire season. Whether he plays or not.

All the Packers can do is offer the most enticing package they can to try and steal Parsons away from the Cowboys.

If they’re going to do that, now’s the time.