Micah Parsons bought into the rivalry between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears immediately upon his entrance into the NFC North Division last year, making it clear there is zero love lost between himself and every member of the roster in Windy City — but love and respect are two very different things.
Parsons made that distinction at the end of last season, when he called out the NFL for leaving then-Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright off its initial list of Pro Bowlers (Wright ended up in the game as an injury replacement) following a breakout campaign.
Parsons showed respect for an even more prominent member of the Bears during a video released by the league Monday previewing the list of its top 100 players as decided by their peers. An interviewer asked the superstar defender who, in his opinion, is the best player right now. Parsons answered with two simple words.
“Yeah, Iceman,” Parsons said.
Iceman is, of course, the nickname of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, one which he earned across a record eight fourth-quarter comebacks he engineered in 2025. One of those victories came against the Packers in Week 16 at Soldier Field after Green Bay held a 10-point edge late in the fourth quarter.
The Bears and Packers played that game just one week after Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
Williams also brought Chicago back from the brink against Green Bay during the opening round of the playoffs. The Bears entered the second half down 18 points at home, but walked into the second round on the strength of a four-point win. Parsons did not participate in that game either due to his injury.
Caleb Williams Struggled With Consistency Last Season, Showed Flashes of Brilliance
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams was far from a perfect season during his second professional campaign, struggling with his accuracy to the tune of a 58.1 percent completion percentage. That represented a 4.4 percent regression from his rookie campaign.
However, the QB vastly improved his decision-making in the pocket. That maturity, along with an improved offensive line under head coach Ben Johnson, led to a decrease in sacks from 68 in 2024 to just 24 of them in 2025. Williams continued to protect the ball effectively, throwing just seven interceptions last season compared to six during his first year.
He fell 58 passing yards shy of becoming the first Bears QB to ever throw for 4,000 yards in a single season and added 27 TD passes compared to the 20 he tallied in Year 1.
Williams also showed excellent mobility and escapability in the pocket. He made a handful of throws in clutch moments that few quarterbacks in the history of the game could execute, pointing to a ceiling as one of the best players in the league if he can work out his consistency.
Micah Parsons Has Strong Case for Top NFL Player in 2026
GettyGreen Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons.
Parsons, a freak athlete and football genius in his own right, recognized the same traits in Williams last season.
Despite his injury, Parsons earned All-Pro honors for the fourth time in his five-year career and also ended the campaign in the Pro Bowl. He finished top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting for the fourth time as well.
Given his consistently elite statistical production, Parsons has his own case as one of the best players in the league. The strongest argument against him as the league’s top performer is that reigning DPOY Myles Garrett is one of the few players who has been clearly better than Parsons over the past few years, and he plays the same position.
Micah Parsons Sends Blunt 2-Word Message on Caleb Williams