2025

Pro-Bowl DE Micah Parsons was unable to secure the deal he wanted with the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones, he demanded to be traded. After months of speculation and media drama on all sides, Parsons got the trade he wanted. He was traded to the Green Bay Packers for DT Kenny Clark and 2 1^st round picks in 2026 and 2027. He will wear #1 with the Packers, the same number founder Curly Lambeau wore with the team. He also got the payday he wanted as he signed a new 4-year, $188M contract to stay in Green Bay.

It is always a shocking move and creates a lot of buzz when a player of this magnitude moves to another team. This isn’t the first time the Packers acquired a defensive player of this magnitude. The Packers made headlines in 1993, when they signed Reggie White, who was a superstar DE for the Philadelphia Eagles. They also signed CB Charles Woodson, who played his entire career with the Oakland Raiders before coming to Green Bay, but that was a slightly different scenario as Woodson was considered to be on the downward spiral of his career. How wrong those people were!

When you acquire a guy like Parsons via trade, you obviously will be giving up something significant like draft picks and a guy who made the Pro Bowl in Clark, but new Team President Ed Policy wanted to make a splash to begin his tenure, and this is definitely a huge one. Now that they have Parsons, what does that mean for Green Bay this season and the seasons to come? How far can they go with him?

The Packers won their 2 latest Super Bowls with obviously a star quarterback, and it sure helps to have one of those. Whether Jordan Love will be in that conversation is still up for debate, but you also need to have people who can change the game on defense. Reggie White was no doubt that guy. Charles Woodson became that guy in Green Bay, even though both players play different positions. In both scenarios, the team eventually won a Super Bowl, even though it took some time for it to happen in both cases.

Reggie White became a fan favorite in Green Bay immediately. The team hadn’t won a Super Bowl since the days of Vince Lombardi, and it was over 25 years since that happened. They went through a huge dry spell of losing seasons. They were more than ready to start winning again and reach the mountaintop. Reggie White created much excitement in games, for example, when he sacked John Elway twice late in the game to prevent him from orchestrating one of his classic comebacks. In Super Bowl XXXI, the Patriots were trailing by 14 and desperately needed to move the ball. They never got close, and in the 2^nd half, White had 3 sacks in the game, ending any realistic chance of New England coming back on that day.

Charles Woodson didn’t quite become a fan favorite at first because his best days were considered to be in the rearview mirror. He settled on Green Bay, and it worked out extremely well for both Woodson and the Packers. He seemed to have found new life with the Packers. He would go on to have some huge interceptions and tackles, especially sacks. He could do a little bit of everything. Unfortunately, he broke is collarbone in Super Bowl XLV while defending a pass. The Packers were keeping the Steelers’ offense in check up to that point. They found a few holes and were eventually able to move the ball during that game, but the Packers fortunately had enough to shut them down and hold on in the final minute of the game. Woodson would play 2 more seasons with Green Bay before going back to Oakland. Mainly because of his time in Green Bay, Woodson is now in the Hall of Fame.

Will getting Parsons lead to a Super Bowl Championship this year or down the road? There are no guarantees. When I look at how the Packers got him and the contract they gave him, I thought of a move that happened 7 years prior. Shortly before the 2018 season, the rival Chicago Bears got Khalil Mack via trade from the Oakland Raiders, and at the time, the Bears gave him the biggest contract in NFL history a defensive player received. He created a lot of headlines around the league, and if you remember, it was rumored that Mack would come to Green Bay in a big trade. That didn’t happen, and ironically, the first game of the regular season for both the Packers and Bears was a Sunday night game at Lambeau Field. We all remember that game. Mack and the defense were dominating that game until the Packers made a furious comeback to win it. The Bears would go on to win the division and Mack had a sensational year, but all the team could get out of it was a double doink off the goalposts and a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mack would last 4 years with the Bears with 2 playoff appearances. They would make the playoffs as a 7^th seed in 2020, but it would end with a loss to the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. The Bears would trade Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he still is to this day, but the Bears didn’t get anything in return that was close to what they gave up to acquire him. So we see that just because you make a huge splash and sign a game-changing defensive superstar, it doesn’t guarantee success. The Packers are obviously looking for much more than 2 playoff appearances and no victories during the Micah Parsons Era.

All things considered, I am excited about this trade. The team is trying to take the next step and a move like this shows that the front office is serious about putting a great team on the field. Many fans were waiting a long time for a move like this. Too many times, the Packers were mentioned in talks to acquire this or that star player, only for another team to make the move instead. The trade for Mack hit many Packers’ fans hard because not only did they not get him, he went to their most bitter rival. It was time for the Packers to land a huge star player and they did it. Now to make it pay off by winning.

I’m not saying it will be a Super Bowl run this year for the Packers, but they have as good a chance as anyone. It’s not only about maximizing their opportunities on defense with Parsons, but it’s time for Jordan Love to take that next step, and they might have quite a player themselves in Matthew Golden, who they took in the 1^st round. Week 1 vs Detroit won’t be far away. Let’s put together a memorable season and see how far we can take this thing in 2025 and beyond!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901

It’s that time of year again. After numerous bike rides, practices, another successful Family Night, and lots of headlines, the Packers are ready to play their first preseason games, which will happen Saturday night vs the Jets at Lambeau Field. They then travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts, and they will follow it up with a home game vs the Seahawks.

Preseason games, while unspectacular at times, used to be a bigger deal as teams would get the starters some reps so they can get into a bit of a rhythm, something they can’t quite duplicate in practice. It would be used as a tool to evaluate the “bubble” players and build their depth chart. Since they went to a 17-game regular season, they shortened the preseason by a game. Now many teams don’t want to put their starters out there, especially their quarterbacks and running backs, as they fear injuries.

Matt LaFleur says he plans to play Jordan Love in the preseason, including vs the Jets. However, with the injury to QB Anthony Richardson of the Colts for example, I wouldn’t be surprised if LaFleur takes a more cautious approach. It’s true that players take a huge risk whenever they take the field, and any play could be their last, not only for the season, but for their playing career. It is important that Love and the offense have some good chemistry between them, especially since they have 2 significant home games to start the season, the Lions and the Commanders, and they are both in the same calendar week.

It is also important that Love doesn’t take any unnecessary hits and that he is good to go for those 2 games and beyond. The preseason is mostly to evaluate the roster depth and find a possible “diamond in the rough” at DT, DL, and linebacker for example. The secondary could use some stability as well. The Eagles last season showed us how far a good pass rush can take you. For the Packers to get into that conversation, they need a defense that can shut down the opposition and give the offense a chance to win the game instead of trying to catch up all the time.

Lambeau Field will be anything but frozen on Saturday night. Fans who are used to bringing in hand warmers and drinking hot chocolate will need to stay hydrated and combat the high temperatures that have made their way into Wisconsin and throughout the country. Enjoy the preseason, and please, no injuries!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901

The 2025-26 NFL schedule has been released and this is what it looks like for the Packers.

For the first time since 2018 and for the first time since Matt LaFleur became the Packers’ head coach, the Packers will open up the season at home. In fact, the first 2 games are at home and they will be played during the same calendar week. They won’t be easy by any means, but the Packers open at home vs the Lions, who have won 6 of the last 7 games between the teams. The Packers need to do better than 1-5 in their division if they are to do anything significant in the playoffs. Their 2^nd game of the season is on Thursday night vs the team that eliminated the Lions from the playoffs, the Washington Commanders. After the “mini-bye” after the first 2 weeks, they hit the road with games vs the Browns and Cowboys. Will we see Shedeur Sanders at QB for Cleveland? Will the Packers continue their perfect record at AT&T Stadium in Week 4? After that, they have a bye week.

The Bengals will probably be a tough game, but it will be at home. After that, it’s road games at Arizona and Pittsburgh. Who will be the QB for the Steelers? Rumors are that a certain former Packer might be wanting to sign with them. Then they have a home game with Carolina before a big Monday Night showdown at home vs the Eagles. They then have 3 in a row and 4 of 5 vs divisional opponents, including a Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit. The lone non-divisional game is at Denver, always a tough place to play no matter how good or bad the Broncos are, and they were a playoff team last year. They wrap up the home part of their schedule with a game vs Baltimore, no easy feat with Lamar Jackson running around, and then they finish the season at Minnesota.

All in all, it is a pretty tough schedule, at least on paper. That doesn’t mean the Packers can’t do great things. They had what was considered a tough schedule in 2010, and that season ended pretty well for them. They just need to be playing great football and avoid injuries, although they had a whole lot of injuries in 2010 as well, but they ended up winning the Super Bowl and never trailing by more than 7 points at any time during the regular season or postseason.

The Packers have really retooled their offense, starting with drafting a receiver in the 1^st round for the 1^st time since 2002. They made improvements to their offensive line. They are also looking to keep Jaire Alexander despite the rumors of him getting traded. I see them trying to add another pass rusher to improve their defensive line. The Eagles won the Super Bowl last year because they were able to pressure the QB, especially Patrick Mahomes in the final game. That is where the Packers want to be and there is no reason why they can’t accomplish that in February.

The important thing will be to start the season off strong. They have 2 games at home to start the season, but they are no cream puffs by any means. The Lions are still the class of the division until they prove themselves otherwise. The Vikings still have a formidable roster, even though the QB position is still a question mark since he got no action last year. Even the Bears think they are ready to make some noise, and the Packers play them twice within a 3-week period later in the season. Let’s pile up some wins within the division and give ourselves a chance to win the NFC North this year and make a run in the playoffs, especially with a home game or possibly even more. I’m excited to get this season going. Now we have plans to make throughout the season. Let’s make it a memorable one Green Bay!

Go Pack Go!

@DieHardPackersFan #DHPF #GregGoshaw @gg901