Five seasons into his NFL career, Micah Parsons has already built a CV most defenders would envy.
Since entering the league, the Green Bay Packers star has earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, two first-team All-Pro selections, a second-team nod, and four Pro Bowls. Yet one major accolade continues to elude him: Defensive Player of the Year.
Parsons has finished as the DPOY runner-up twice and placed third in 2023. A year later in 2024, injuries cost him four games and dropped him to 18th in the voting.
Now in the 2025 season, Parsons is once again performing at an elite level, but the award appears out of reach, with Myles Garrett producing a historic campaign that has put him well ahead of the field.
Asked on Thursday whether he believes he still has a shot at winning his first DPOY, Parsons kept perspective at the forefront.
“I don’t really know,” he said, via The Athletic. “I just kind of leave that up to the writers and who they vote for. I don’t really control it, but for me, I’ve just got to just keep playing good football and helping my team win.”
Parsons on Garrett: “Me trying to catch up… is probably not going to happen”
Despite being rivals in the award conversation, Parsons and Garrett share a strong friendship and regularly work out together in the offseason. Parsons explained that both stars have long discussed the importance of staying focused on their own progress, not each other.
“We talk about this when we train all the time,” Parsons said.
“It’s like running your own race. Me trying to catch up to Myles is probably not going to happen, and he’s his own different specimen, and he has his own team, and what they do and what they do is special. And I think my race is finding a way to finish these last five games and putting together my best season, and I’m on track.”
Parsons‘ first season in Green Bay has been impressive in its own right, showcasing the disruptive versatility that made him one of the league’s most coveted defensive talents.
Under different circumstances, his 2025 production might have launched him back into the heart of the awards conversation. But Garrett‘s pace, including a massive sack lead, has all but cemented him as the frontrunner.
Parsons, however, appears far more focused on legacy and consistency than on year-end recognition.
“I think it’ll be a nice accolade if I’m able to achieve that once in my career, but for right now, I just been playing for respect,” he said.
“I think that’s kind of what’s making me go.”
With five games left in the regular season, Parsons is turning his attention toward finishing strong and positioning the Packers for a postseason push.
Whether or not 2025 finally brings him his long-awaited Defensive Player of the Year trophy, his mindset remains squarely on performing at a level worthy of respect, and leading his team down the stretch.
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