GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons is still seeking his first sack of Aaron Rodgers, but even if he doesn't get one in Sunday night's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he'll always have a little piece of the quarterback.
It came in the mail in 2022.
After Rodgers and the Packers beat Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10 of the 2022 season -- Rodgers' last with the Packers -- the MVP quarterback approached the second-year defensive end on the field.
"After the game, he was like, 'I want to trade jerseys with you,'" said Parsons, who is in his first season with the Packers. "And I'm like, 'The GOAT, Rodgers, wants to trade jerseys with me? I'm coming off my rookie year.' To me, it's a great sign of respect, just the type of guy he is, that he could recognize such a young player in the league. So I have nothing but respect for him, and he's become one of my favorite players just because of that moment."
Rodgers wasn't always big into jersey swapping, but he had a reason for wanting Parsons', even though the defensive end did not have a sack or quarterback hit in that game (Parsons said he was sick).
"I saw Hall of Fame potential," Rodgers said this week. "Obviously he's fulfilled that. He's an incredible player, one of the rare guys overall in the 21 years I've been a part of it, 18 as a starter, that you've got to account for on every play. I can probably count them on one hand and maybe get into the second hand if you go back to the Jared Allens and Julius Peppers. He's a guy you've got to account for every play. The Aaron Donalds of the world, Khalil Mack when he was rolling, T.J. Watt obviously. I just loved his motor, constant, loved his attitude, seemed to really love football, which I've always gravitated towards. I'm just thinking this guy's going to be in the Hall of Fame, let's jersey swap, that would be pretty cool."
As for jersey swapping after Sunday's game, Parsons isn't likely to get another one of Rodgers' jerseys. That might go to the man who replaced Rodgers as Packers quarterback, Jordan Love.
"There's a lot of guys over there that I still have a lot of love for and played with," Rodgers said. "I'd say at the top of my list would be J-Love. The Packers have always been a little weird about swapping. I don't know what the policy is these days, but if there was one, it'd probably be Jordan."
