Micah Parsons Says 2022 Aaron Rodgers Jersey Swap Gave Him 'Boost of Confidence'

Micah Parsons and Aaron Rodgers may not have had overlapping tenures with the Green Bay Packers, but Parsons still credits Rodgers with boosting his confidence as a young player.

Parsons told The Athletic's Matt Schneidman he recalls swapping jerseys with Rodgers in 2022 following the Packers' Week 10 overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys.

At the time Parsons, 23, was playing in his second NFL season with the Cowboys. Rodgers was meanwhile playing in his 18th and final season with the Packers at age 39.

"To me, it's a great sign of respect," Parsons said, per Schneidman. "Just the type of guy he is, that he could recognize such a young player in the league, so I have nothing but respect for him and he's become one of my favorite players just because of that moment."

Parsons and Rodgers are set to match up once again when the Green Bay Packers travel to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday's Week 8 action.

"The football side, I'm ready to get my rematch," Parsons said about Week 8, per Schneidman. "But the personal side, I appreciate 'Rodg' for that because that gave me a boost of confidence. He just said 'keep going' and how much he believed in me, so that was big. He didn't have to do that."

Rodgers meanwhile had high praise for Parsons when speaking about the Cowboys defender on Wednesday (h/t Penn Live's Nick Farabaugh).

"I've played against Micah before. He's a phenomenal player," Rodgers told reporters. "He's a future Hall of Famer, he's a gamer, and you've got to know where he's at at all times."

Rodgers is averaging 7.4 yards per attempt, his best rate since his last Pro Bowl season with the Packers in 2021, through the Steelers' 4-2 start to the season.

Part of that is because he gets rid of the ball quickly. Rodgers is averaging 2.63 seconds to throw, which ranks as the third-fastest in the NFL through Week 7.

The Steelers offensive line has also showed recent signs of improvement. The unit allowed nine sacks on Rodgers through the first four games of the season, but has not permitted a sack in either of their last two games.

Parsons, who is coming off of a 3.0-sack performance in Week 7, will present a major test for the Steelers' o-line when Sunday night's game against the Packers kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh.