Blockbuster Trade Adds More Intrigue To Marquee Steelers Matchup

There was already plenty of reason to anticipate a primetime matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers before adding another superstar to the fold.

Aaron Rodgers will face his former team for the first time since leaving Green Bay. His path to winning the Week 8 showdown just got much tougher following a bombshell trade.

One week before the 2025 season starts, the Packers acquired Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay sent Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks to Dallas for the All-Pro edge rusher.

Instead of teaming with former Steelers wide receiver George Pickens in Dallas, Parsons signed a four-year, $188 million contract that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, surpassing the three-year, $123 million deal T.J. Watt landed in July. Parsons will anchor a Packers defense that allowed the fifth-fewest yards and sixth-fewest points last season.

Perhaps the move could benefit Pittsburgh’s run game, as Green Bay permitted an NFC-low 4.0 yards per carry with Clark roaming the defensive line. Yet the Steelers must now protect their 41-year-old quarterback from one of the league’s most dangerous pass rushers.

Parson has 52.5 sacks and 112 quarterback hits through 63 career games. The four-time Pro Bowler missed last season’s game against the Steelers with an ankle injury, so the former Penn State star has never faced Pittsburgh.

That will change when the prestigious franchises meet later this fall in a Super Bowl XLV rematch and potential Super Bowl LX preview. Before the Packers bolstered their title candidacy with a last-minute windfall, the Steelers added Rodgers, DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey during an active offseason.

The Steelers will host the Packers on “Sunday Night Football” on Oct. 26. Rodgers will first play another former team when Pittsburgh opens its regular season against the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 7.

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