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Pro Football Hall of Famer Patrick Willis was like the rest of the football world when he saw the Dallas Cowboys trade four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
He couldn’t believe it, but not because of the general shock factor.
“It baffled me a little bit, to be honest with you. Not so much about the trade, but it was more so the fact he went to Green Bay,” Willis told Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with The Athletic and its new Connections: Sports Edition puzzle ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
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Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons walks onto the field after the team’s preseason NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Willis, a seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker who starred for the San Francisco 49ers, was baffled by Jerry Jones sending Parsons to Green Bay.
Willis worried about Parsons’ past injuries and now having to play in a place where temperatures regularly get below freezing during the year.
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“I’m just like, ‘Man, with you having the injuries you’ve had to go somewhere like Green Bay, it gets cold,'” Willis said. “It gets cold and to have injuries that’s not the place you want to go to.”
Of course, Parsons didn’t have any say over where he was heading, but he did sign a four-year, $188 million long-term extension to remain in Green Bay for the foreseeable future.
Parsons is also already dealing with an injury, as ESPN reported on Monday that he may need an epidural injection to play the team’s home opener against the Detroit Lions in Week 1. Parsons has every intention of playing, but his “back tightness” designation while he sat out of Cowboys training camp wasn’t a fib after all.
Parsons is dealing with an L4/L5 facet join sprain in his back as of now, and he also had a high-ankle sprain last season that caused him to miss four games. He also battled hand, knee, and shoulder injuries during the 2022 season.
Green Bay Packers Micah Parsons speaks at his introductory news conference Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Injuries are unfortunately a common happening in the NFL, as any player will say battling through them is a must throughout the grueling campaign. But Parsons’ home field the last four seasons was in a climate-controlled AT&T Stadium – Lambeau Field is the exact opposite.
So, Willis believes Parsons’ main priority will be staying healthy instead of circling that Week 4 matchup against the Cowboys.
“I feel like it’s one of those things where, for him, it’s going to be staying healthy,” Willis said. The whole thing is not going to be, ‘Oh man, I can’t wait to play that team.’
“You gotta play outside. He’s going to have a lot of other things on his mind. I’m sure he’s going to be hungry for that game when it does happen. But, for him, I think the biggest thing is going to be staying healthy for this new squad.”
Willis said he wishes Parsons nothing but the best, and he’s excited to see what he can do with this new opportunity in the NFC North.
Hall of Famer Patrick Willis has some injury concerns for Micah Parsons as he journeys north to play for the Green Bay Packers. (Getty Images)
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Willis, alongside Eli Manning and Devin Hester, partnered with The Athletic for its new Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, where each NFL team’s fans can prove their expertise before gameday by solving the puzzle.
“I’m super excited to be a part of this campaign with The Athletic. It’s one of those things where I’ve been a puzzler since I’ve been a kid, so to be part of this campaign I’m excited because you get to test your football knowledge,” Willis said.
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