Micah Parsons is one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL. Yet, he probably could be even more dangerous if he wasn't held so often by opposing offensive lineman. Last season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons went 11 games without getting the benefit of a single holding call.
You can't really blame linemen, though, for getting desperate when Parsons could easily (unintentionally) end a quarterback's career with one tackle.
Parsons, now a member of the Green Bay Packers, is privy to the tactics and has grown a thicker skin of late, but that hasn't stopped him from speaking his mind on the lack of discipline from referees during games.
Micah Parsons rants against NFL's lack of holding calls when he's on the field
The 26-year-old sounded off to reporters on Thursday after exactly zero flags were thrown against the Cincinnati Bengals for holding in Week 6.
Micah Parsons sounds off on how he’s officiated and refs in general:
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 16, 2025
“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
“Five years of not getting a call, you eventually stop worrying about it,” Parsons said. “I think I just got to keep going... That’s part of the challenges. Like, you’ve just got to keep going. That’s bothersome. That worries me. That’s part of being one of the best. That comes with some territory.
“There are parts that you hate, and the parts that the league lets go. You can tell how they call the games. They don’t call offsides for offense, but they call it on defense. They won’t call offensive pass interference, but they’ll call defensive pass interference. We know what they’re trying to do. They want to 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. It’s just one of those things that we know what the higher-ups is trying to do. The ref will say, ‘I know that’s a hold.’ What? Like, you’re not going to call it? Like, come on. It’s one of those things that I’m over, and I’m just going to have to keep going and just push through it."
Parsons continued with claims that the league is only making calls with player safety in mind for just the offense.
“We put so much emphasis on protecting the offense. Protect the defense,” Parsons said angrily. “A guy could be trying to catch the ball and you make a defensive player so he doesn’t catch it, and it’s targeting. It’s a flag now. But a defensive end could be rushing and engaged with another player, and a guy could come blow his ribs out. We’re not considered defenseless. But like we said, it’s an offensive league. I think a lot of the rules are b------t. A guy damn near hurt [defensive lineman Lukas] Van Ness last week. Like, what are we doing? If you’re going to say it’s about protecting the players, then protect all players. Don’t just protect one side of the ball. I don’t mind guys chipping from the outside, but like running backs want to come and sneak players while we’re engaged with offensive linemen. That’s complete b------t. That’s not good football. That’s not safe football if that’s what they want to preach.”
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is, of course, on Parsons' side and told reporters there is "definitely going to be a conversation pregame" about calling games more fairly in that respect.
The Packers play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the seventh-most penalized team in the league this season. Whether the NFL heeds Parsons and LaFleur's complaints will be another question but don't be surprised if the trenches are extra policed in this contest.