The biggest move of the 2025 NFL offseason happened a week before the season started.
The Dallas Cowboys traded star EDGE rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The move was a resolution to a very public contract dispute between Parsons and the Cowboys' front office that had raged for months.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believed they had agreed on the terms of a deal on a napkin back in March, but Parsons' agent was present. When his agent got involved, he said those conversations were a great starting point, but the deal wasn't done because he wasn't there. This led to a falling out between the parties, with Parsons requesting a trade and writing a heartfelt letter about his feelings to the Cowboys fans.
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While many thought that money would solve all the problems and the two parties would reconcile, it ultimately ended in a trade. When Parsons went to Green Bay, there was concern he wouldn't be ready for Week 1. He was joining a new system and needed to learn a new defensive playbook. Those concerns were put aside when it was revealed that Parsons had been dealing with a back injury that the public was unaware of, but Dallas and Green Bay were.
Parsons' back injury has been diagnosed as a L4/L5 facet joint sprain, which could require an epidural injection in order for him to play. It is something he could play through, but it could limit the number of snaps that he is able to play in his debut with Green Bay.
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Here are the latest injury updates for Parsons.
Is Micah Parsons playing Week 1?
Leading up to Sunday's matchup against the Lions, Parsons is expected to play in Week 1. When he was with Dallas, he was going to have to play on Thursday night in the first game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, after the trade with the Packers, Parsons gets a few extra days of rest to prep as Green Bay opens its season on Sunday, September 7, against the Detroit Lions.
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The Packers released their first injury report of the week on Wednesday, four days ahead of the game. Parsons was listed as a limited participant due to his back injury.
Micah Parsons (back) was limited today. First official injury report of the season⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VWlH9I17Wv
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 3, 2025
Early week injury reports usually aren't too concerning. Players, especially veterans like Parsons, are known to start the week with a day of rest to help preserve their longevity throughout the 17-game regular season.
NBC Sports' Mike Florio also reported that Parsons was also limited in practice on Thursday, and that Parsons is "trending toward playing" in Week 1. Florio added that the expectation is that Parsons will not need an injection in his back to play, but he will likely be used in clear passing situations, versus than playing the entire game against Detroit.
Micah update from NBC pregame. pic.twitter.com/qwlDw7NDf9
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 5, 2025
For the Packers' new star, another limited practice participation on Thursday still isn't cause for concern. That may start on Friday if he heads into the weekend listed as questionable. While that could just be gamesmanship from head coach Matt LaFleur, fans would likely much rather see some definitive answers that Parsons will play against Detroit.
On Friday afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Green Bay is listing Parsons as questionable for Sunday's matchup. His status is up in the air for the highly-anticipated NFC North matchup.
Packers are listing LB Micah Parsons as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Lions due to his back injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2025
On Saturday, Schefter reported that Parsons is expected to play in Sunday's game. According to Schefter, Parsons won't participate in every down; the Packers are reportedly still figuring out how much time Parsons will play.
This article will be updated.