Packers' Micah Parsons takes shot at Lions ahead of opener: 'I never liked Detroit'

Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News on Sep 5, 2025

Published in Football

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The newest Green Bay Packer already is providing bulletin-board material ahead of the team's season opener against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

Star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was traded to Green Bay from the Dallas Cowboys late last week, took some shots at Detroit and the Lions during his weekly media availability.

"I never liked Detroit," he said, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "I never liked them."

Parsons said he won't need much introduction to the Green Bay-Detroit rivalry because he already experienced a rivalry with the Lions while playing in Dallas. Parsons was traded for a pair of first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

The Lions and Cowboys have played three seasons in a row. But the "rivalry" officially started in 2023, when the Lions lost on a controversial finish in which Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker was not deemed to have reported as eligible before a go-ahead 2-point conversion late in the game.

Detroit, perhaps still angry about the result, demolished the Cowboys, 47-9, in Dallas in the 2024 rematch. Parsons didn't play in that game because of an ankle injury.

"I felt like Dallas and Detroit already had a rivalry. I got that rivalry built up. I'm excited to play them," he said, adding that "it was always just a heavyweight fight every year when they came in."

"They kind of got our guys when I was injured last year — the whole team was injured — so I just think it's a funny way how things work. I'm excited to play them. I know they're excited. It's gonna go all 12 to 15 rounds."

The Lions have won six of their last seven against the Packers. As of late, pregame trash talk out of Green Bay hasn't aged well.

Ahead of a battle for first place in Week 9 last season, Packers safety Xavier McKinney accused the Lions of "trying to embarrass people" and said the Packers "don't really take that lightly." The Lions won handily, 24-14.

A few weeks later, before a pivotal Week 14 matchup in prime time, Green Bay tight end Tucker Kraft said he "might not agree" with how Lions safety Kerby Joseph approaches open-field tackling, saying he'd like to "get a chance to get my hands on him" after Joseph's hits resulted in a few tight ends getting injured.

The closing scene of that contest, a 34-31 Lions win, was Joseph yelling in Kraft's face as the two walked down the tunnel after the game.

"You talking about Mac and Cheese Kraft?" Joseph said when asked about it after the game. "I don't know who that boy is, man. … People just talk crazy on the internet, but when they see me, they don't really do nothing, though, so I ain't worried about it."

The season hasn't even begun, but the Lions-Packers rivalry is already in midseason form.

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