Micah Parsons’s first few weeks with the Packers have gone pretty well.
After working his way into playing shape, Parsons is now a stalwart for the Green Bay defense, playing a season-high 89% of snaps in Sunday’s win over the Bengals.
But as good as it is to have a star defender like Parsons on the field, it can also lead to some frustrations—not with the player, but with how the game moves around them.
Coach Matt LaFleur was asked about the ways officials handle Parsons, specifically the holding calls that he should be drawing that are not being called. LaFleur’s answer was diplomatic, but it was clear that he was pleased to be asked so directly about a topic he likely wouldn’t want to bring up himself without preparing to pay a fine.
“Certainly, it’s frustrating when it’s blatant,” LaFleur said. “Those should get called, right? I do think there’s some situations, where there’s some close ones on us as well. I think as long as there’s a consistency, that’s all you want. If you’re going to not call it one way, don’t call it the other way.”
While LaFleur is able to take the wide view with how penalties are called across the spectrum, both in favor of and against his team, he acknowledged that it was specifically bothersome to Parsons, who is often on the losing side of an argument with the flag that stays pocketed.
“I know he’s frustrated by it. There are some that are egregious, and I think those need to be called.”
The frustration is understandable. If you turn on any random Packers defensive snap, it feels like there’s a good chance you’ll see someone holding Parsons.
Parsons was held egregiously three times in this video sequence, zero of which were called on the field https://t.co/vKHH1fLm8h
— rcon14 (@rcon14) October 1, 2025
Parsons, and honestly most star edge rushers in the league, should probably draw more holding calls than they actually receive, but referees are never going to throw the flag on every single play.
The best teams can hope for, as LaFleur noted, is that games are called consistently for both sides, and that the most egregious plays are still penalized.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Matt LaFleur Frustrated With Officials Missing ‘Egregious’ Holding Calls Against Micah Parsons.
