GREEN BAY, Wis. — No Packers player has worn No. 1 since Curly Lambeau in 1925 and 1926. The longtime namesake of Green Bay’s iconic stadium was the only one in franchise history to don the number.
Micah Parsons will be the second.
“I’m going with No. 1,” Parsons said Friday night during his introductory news conference at Lambeau Field.
He had asked people on X earlier in the day if he should wear No. 0 or No. 1. He previously wore No. 11 for the Cowboys, but wide receiver Jayden Reed has worn that number the last three years in Green Bay.
The Packers acquired Parsons from the Cowboys on Thursday for a 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons, who recently turned 26 years old, won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons and has earned All-Pro honors three times.
“There is a lot of expectations and I’d be a fool to think there isn’t expectations or there isn’t pressure in the position that I’m stepping into,” Parsons said when asked about the weight that comes with his arrival given what the Packers gave up for him. “But then again, that’s a blessing in itself. That means that they believed in me that much … they believe I’m that much of a future in this organization and they showed that in every which way. So that just alone shows me the type of person I need to be in this building every day and I’m very determined.”
Parsons said he saw a wall inside Lambeau Field on Friday with franchise legends like quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Reggie White raising their arms, celebrating a Super Bowl victory.
“I saw all those legends and I was like, ‘I’ve got to be there,’” Parsons said. “You go in the draft room and they’re all having their hands up. They’re all having that moment. I’m looking for that moment. I’m going to take advantage of this moment and maximize it to reach that moment.”
While general manager Brian Gutekunst reiterated Friday that he doesn’t think one player can get the Packers over the proverbial Super Bowl hump, Parsons is the closest thing to just that. He’s one of the best pass rushers in the game, joining a playoff-caliber team whose weakest unit last season was its pass rush.
There are expectations because of his on-field pedigree alone, but couple that with Parsons being the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history and sporting a number that hasn’t been worn in 99 years and the spotlight will be squarely on Green Bay’s shiny new defensive centerpiece this season and beyond.
“When you talk about winning and the stage and what it takes, I haven’t been there and I don’t know what it takes, but I’ve got a funny feeling that a lot of this history, this program does,” Parsons said. “They went further than us and obviously they had a big one against us and I trust Coach LaFleur and I really feel like we can do it and like I said, I really want to win real bad.”
(Photo: Jayden Mack / Getty Images)