Packers’ Lombardi-lifting odds: Brian Gutekunst put his draft picks where his mouth is. The Packers GM said in January that his club needed to “ramp up” the urgency to chase Super Bowl trophies. Then he walked the walk, making the biggest splash of the year on the eve of the season. Parsons takes the Packers from good to great. Sure, it wasn’t cheap, but players of this caliber simply do not become available in their prime. Green Bay snagging the annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate is sure to conjure comparisons to Mike Holmgren wooing Reggie White to Titletown back in 1993, except White was 31. Parsons is 26. Adding Parsons fills one of the biggest needs for the Packers heading into the season: pass rush. Sliding him alongside Rashan Gary gives Green Bay the potential for a devastating duo up front. The Packers were already a good bet to make the postseason; now their chips are all in on a Lombardi bid. Gutekunst got his alpha.
Parsons: Sick of the Cowboys’ negotiating tactics, Parsons pushed his way out of Dallas and into a record-setting payday. The edge rusher played nice for most of the offseason, showing up to workouts and initially saying all the right things. His trade request was met mostly with apathy. He showed his pull, and he got the massive contract. Win, win. The versatile defender is worth every penny, generating 52.5 sacks over four years and earning a Pro Bowl bid in every season. Had he not dealt with an injury that shortened his season to 13 games last year, he very well could have won his first DPOY. After returning from a high ankle sprain in November, Parsons was the most dominant defensive performer in the game. With the contract dispute in the rearview, he can focus on lifting the Packers’ defense to new heights. Of course, assuming that “back tightness” is all cleared up.
Jeff Hafley, Packers DC: Hafley immediately helped turn around a Packers defense that had long underperformed. In his first season at the helm, Green Bay finished sixth in points allowed and fifth in total defense. The last time the Pack had registered in the top 10 in both categories was 2010. Hafley made it work without a dominant pass rusher. Gary led the Packers with 7.5 QB takedowns last season, yet Green Bay still ranked tied for eighth in the NFL with 45 sacks. That’s the scheme doing work. Now, inject the most dominant, moveable pass rusher in the game. The DC should be beaming for weeks. Adding Parsons isn’t just gaining an edge rusher. He’s the equivalent of a Queen in chess, able to move all around the board, taking out opponents at will. It’s a good day to be Jeff Hafley.