Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Micah Parsons has been named a finalist for the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Despite playing just 14 games this season, Parsons still made a noticeable impact as one of the best defenders in the league since being traded from the Dallas Cowboys back in August.
This is Parsons’ 4th time being named a finalist for AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his first 5 seasons and tops off a season of accolades after he was voted first-team All-Pro
and earned his fifth-consecutive Pro Bowl nomination earlier this month.
Before tearing his ACL in December against the Denver Broncos, Micah Parsons totaled 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 26 QB hits, and 83 pressures for the Packers. Parsons is the only NFL player since 1982 to register 12+ sacks in each of his first 5 NFL seasons, according to Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. Parsons’ 65 sacks are also the fifth-most sacks by a player in the first five years of their career.
The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday, February 5, in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl.
