The parallels are almost too obvious to ignore. In trading for All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons on Thursday, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has completed his legacy duo, pairing a franchise quarterback with a game-changing defensive player in hopes of bringing a long-awaited Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.

The last two times a Packers general manager made this pairing happen, a title followed.

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Pro Football Hall of Fame general manager Ron Wolf went out on a limb and traded for Brett Favre to revive the franchise and then shocked the football world by signing Reggie White — the Packers went on to win Super Bowl XXXI. Packers Hall of Fame general manager Ted Thompson drafted Aaron Rodgers with Favre still on the roster and then convinced Charles Woodson to come to Green Bay — the Packers went on to Super Bowl XLV. Gutekunst drafted Jordan Love with Rodgers still on the roster and has now aggressively acquired Parsons — the Packers will be top Super Bowl contenders in 2025 and possibly every year for the next few years.

Trading for Parsons won’t guarantee another Super Bowl title in Green Bay. But teaming together the quarterback and future Hall of Fame defensive player has been a title-winning recipe in a place called Titletown.

Love, of course, is not yet to the level of Favre or Rodgers. But the flashes have been there, and he’s about to enter his third season as the Packers starting quarterback. Rodgers won his Super Bowl in his third season as the starter after sitting on the bench behind Favre. Provided he’s healthy, Love has a terrific chance to take another step forward and become an MVP-level quarterback given his playcaller and all the weapons surrounding him.

Parsons will be tasked with taking an ascending Packers defense to the elite level. A true game-wrecker, Parsons has four straight seasons with at least 12 sacks, and he leads all NFL players in pressures since 2021, per Next Gen Stats. While White’s impact on the Packers as a franchise was incalculable, Parsons is paving his own Hall of Fame path, and his on-field impact could give Jeff Hafley and the Packers defense everything it needs to be a dominant force.

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In 1996, the Packers had the No. 1 scoring defense. In 2010, the Packers ranked No. 2 in scoring defense. A game-changing quarterback and a dominant defense is what Super Bowl titles are made of in Green Bay.

Never again can someone argue Gutekunst and the Packers are only striving to make the postseason. Trading for Parsons — and giving up two first-round picks to get the deal done — is the kind of aggressive, all-in move made by teams hunting the game’s ultimate prize.

With Love and Parsons signed, sealed and delivered, Gutekunst’s legacy as the decision-maker in Green Bay will rest on how far the pair can take the Packers. Win a Super Bowl and Gutekunst’s name will eventually be hung up inside Lambeau Field and alongside Wolf and Thompson, two general managers who found the quarterback and disruptive defender and brought home a Lombardi Trophy. Favre and White, Rodgers and Woodson, now Love and Parsons. The table is set in Green Bay.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: In trading for Micah Parsons, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst completes his legacy duo



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