Here’s a fun one. Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons took to Twitter to react to a graphic ESPN ran the night of the Maxx Crosby trade, which is now off, claiming that Crosby had more quarterback pressures than any other player in the league since 2019. Parsons, correctly, pointed out that he wasn’t even drafted until the 2021 season.
So, how do these players actually stack up since Parsons entered the league? Let’s take a look at the data
from NFL Pro, a league service that registers pressures.
Micah Parsons
- 2021: 73 pressures
- 2022: 88
- 2023: 88
- 2024: 75
- 2025: 83
Even though Parsons only started 13 games last year, between the Week 1 ramp-up post-trade and his ACL tear toward the end of the year, his entire career has still fit within the 73 to 88 pressures per season range after an 83-pressure 2025.
Maxx Crosby
- 2021: 101 pressures
- 2022: 80
- 2023: 79
- 2024: 53
- 2025: 46
Crosby’s numbers are very interesting. Yes, he had a higher pressure peak in 2021 with 101 (no one has beaten that mark since), but he’s had a year-to-year dropoff in the last four seasons. Over the last two years, he’s posted just 99 pressures compared to Parsons’ 158.
Total Pressures, NFL (2021-2025)
- Micah Parsons: 418 pressures
- Myles Garrett: 401
- Josh Hines-Allen: 375
- Maxx Crosby: 359
Since Parsons entered the league, he’s been the top pressure player in the sport. Maxx Crosby is fourth, within striking range of Josh Hines-Allen, but fairly far behind Parsons and Myles Garrett.
Other notable players behind Crosby are Trey Hendrickson (355), Danielle Hunter (351) and Nick Bosa (335). Interestingly, T.J. Watt only has 260 pressures over the last five years, putting him closer to players like Montez Sweat, Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick than top-tier pass-rushers in the NFL.
Pressures Per Year, NFL (2021-2025)
- Micah Parsons: 83.6 pressures
- Myles Garrett: 80.2
- Josh Hines-Allen: 75
- Abdul Carter: 72
- Maxx Crosby: 71.8
Here’s the opportunity for a young guy to pop up on the list. The only player who doesn’t have the volume of Crosby but has the efficiency to outpace Crosby is New York Giants pass-rusher Abdul Carter, the third overall pick in last year’s draft, who had 72 pressures as a rookie last year. Other notable young players include Jared Verse (71.5 pressures per year over two years), Will Anderson (69 pressures per year over three years) and Aidan Hutchinson (63.5 pressures per year over four years).
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So, no, Maxx Crosby isn’t a better pressure player than Micah Parsons, at least not since Parsons came into the league. It’s Parsons and Myles Garrett at the top, and then the next tier of pass-rushers starts after that.
