Few would argue the fact that Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons has entrenched himself as one of the league’s best pass rushers and all-around playmakers during the scintillating two-year start to his pro career.
The 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year has racked up an impressive 149 tackles, 26.5 sacks, and six forced fumbles in 33 games played. His production has garnered him two first-team All-Pro nods in as many tries.
Parsons is certainly accomplished for a 24-year-old, but he recently spoke about some even loftier goals.
Micah Parsons Eyeing ‘Upper Room’ of The Hall of Fame
Parsons said in a recent interview that he wouldn’t be content to merely make the Hall of Fame when his career comes to a close, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. He wants to ascend to another tier altogether, to be regarded as one of the very best to ever play the game.
“When you talk about great careers, [when] you talk about the Hall of Fame, like I don’t think I just want to make the Hall of Fame. I just want to be known as one of the greatest Hall of Famers,” Parsons said.
“There’s categories to everything. There’s good. There’s great, and there’s like, perfect. … When you talk about me, I don’t want to just be mentioned in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, that’s a great accolade, but I want to be one of the greatest in the Hall of Fame.”
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons has a goal of not only making the hall of fame, but being known as “one of the best” hall of famers, he told ESPN
“When you talk about great careers, when you talk about the Hall of Fame, like I don’t think I just want to… pic.twitter.com/Sjw2DuaAKH
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball)
It’d be easy to misconstrue Parsons’ aspirations as a slight towards some members of the Hall of Fame. But don’t mistake his competitive fire for arrogance.
The Penn State product isn’t disrespecting his predecessors. He’s merely stating that when his playing days are in the rearview, Parsons wants to be perceived as one of the all-time greats.
Parsons mentioned Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, Deion Sanders, and Michael Strahan when asked for specific examples of the type of player he was referring to.
“They really just set the tone on what it meant to be, like, great, and how to separate themselves from others,” Parsons said.
“And they all had their little swag, and when you talk about who had the records, Strahan still has the record for most sacks in a year. Then ‘Prime Time,’ anytime the ball was in the air, it was his. So everyone’s got something about them, and when you talk about the greatest, you think about those guys and how dominant and how a force they were. And Aaron Donald is going to have the same thing.”
It’s not hard to interpret the spirit of Parsons’ message. For example, there are 31 linebackers presently in the Hall of Fame. They were all, obviously, very good.
But there’s still only one Lawrence Taylor among them. The same goes for a Peyton Manning at quarterback, Barry Sanders at running back, or Reggie White on the defensive line.
Some players excel on such a level that they transcend nominal greatness. They become the archetype, or the torchbearer, for their position from thereto forth.
One can see where Parsons is on that sort of trajectory. He’s a special athlete with rare click-and-close ability for a man of his stature. Now it’s just to keep up that torrid pace for another 15 or so years.
No pressure.
Just kidding, Parsons will be providing lots and lots of pressure for a long time to come.
