Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons has been one of the NFL’s elite edge rushers and overall players since the Dallas Cowboys drafted him with the 12th-overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Rather than sign Parsons to a new deal this offseason during a contract dispute, the Cowboys opted to trade their star, sending him to the Packers in exchange for two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract extension.
Parsons has been outspoken this season, criticizing the Philadelphia Eagles’ use of the tush push after watching them call the play four straight times, and that’s far from his only issue with the NFL’s officiating.
What Is Micah Parsons’ Issue With NFL Officiating?
Parsons spoke to reporters on Thursday and discussed how he and defensive players in general are officiated.
“Five years of not getting a call, you eventually stop worrying about it,” Parsons said. “I think I’ve just got to keep going. That’s the hunt, yeah. That’s part of the challenges. You’ve got to keep going.”
Micah Parsons sounds off on how he’s officiated and refs in general:
“Five years of not getting a call, you eventually stop worrying about it.”
“They don’t call offsides for offense, but they’ll call it on defense. They won’t call offensive pass interference, but they’ll call… pic.twitter.com/fieDTZpWl5
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 16, 2025
Although Parsons initially gave somewhat of a generic response by calling it “part of the challenge,” he acknowledged that there are issues with the NFL referees and the way they call the game, arguing that they make it much more difficult for defensive players.
“That’s bothersome,” Parsons added. “That’s worries them. They know that. That’s the part of being one of the best. That comes with some territory, parts that you hate and the parts that the league lets go.”
Parsons explained how difficult it is to play on his side of the ball.
“They don’t call offsides for offense, but they’ll call it on defense,” Parsons explained. “They won’t call offensive pass interference, but they’ll call defensive pass interference immediately. We know what they’re trying to do. They wanna load the points up so fans can be happy. They’ll call defensive holding, but they won’t call offensive holding. Let’s just wake up.”
Parsons obviously is a bit biased, but he’s far from the only one who shares this opinion.
It has been a busy week for Parsons in the media as he condemned Penn State’s firing of James Franklin earlier this week. Parsons, of course, played for Franklin at Penn State.
Parsons has four solo tackles and 2.5 sacks through five games with the Packers this season. Parsons has helped the Packers earn a PFSN DEFi grade of 79.7, the sixth-best mark in the league. Parsons’ PFSN EDGEi grade is an 83.6, ranking him 21st.