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Afternoon Edition

August 29, 2025

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The Packers have long been a big TV draw, as one of the NFL’s most storied franchises. The blockbuster trade for edge rusher Micah Parsons entrenches them further, and they’ll be heavily featured in prime time early this season.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Parsons Trade Reinforces Packers As NFL TV Powerhouse [[link removed]]

The Post-Crescent

As one of the NFL’s most popular and most consistently competitive teams, the Packers need little in the way of additional exposure. The high-profile acquisition of star defensive end Micah Parsons [[link removed]] from the Cowboys provides it anyway.

Green Bay is now surging in Super Bowl LX betting odds [[link removed]] after trading for the two-time All-Pro, and with three nationally televised games in the first four weeks of the 2025 season, the team is once again at the center of NFL conversation.

Before the trade, in which the Packers gave up two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to acquire Parsons, the team was tied for ninth among NFL teams in Super Bowl betting odds with an implied probability of 5.6% to win the championship. Green Bay is now tied for fifth with the Lions—trailing just the Ravens, Bills, defending-champion Eagles, and Chiefs—with a new implied probability of nearly 8% on the heels of the Parsons trade.

Viewers around the country, meanwhile, will get a hefty dose of the Packers on their televisions to see Parsons in his new home, particularly in the season’s first month. The season-opening clash at home against the rival Lions will be the national, late-afternoon game on CBS. Green Bay then kicks off Amazon’s Thursday Night Football 2025 schedule on Sept. 11 against the upstart Commanders, again at home. Then, in Week 4, the Packers travel to Dallas for a Sunday Night Football primetime matchup on NBC against those same Cowboys.

Each is expected to deliver massive audience numbers, now burnished further by the interest around Parsons.

Green Bay will have at least two other primetime games, depending on NFL flex scheduling, including a significant Monday Night Football clash on ESPN in November against the Eagles.

A Time of Transition

The Parsons trade also coincides with the beginning of the Ed Policy era in Green Bay. The executive took over day-to-day leadership of the publicly owned Packers last month, rising to president and CEO and succeeding Mark Murphy, who reached a mandatory retirement age of 70 [[link removed]].

The Packers, generally known as a draft-and-develop team before this trade, also recently reported a team-record $719 million in revenue [[link removed]] for their most recent fiscal year. There is no let-up expected as future projections remain strong at both the local and national levels.

The Parsons trade, however, still arrived with some disbelief. At a function on Thursday to induct Murphy into the Packers Hall of Fame, the former executive was shocked by the breaking news of the trade.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Murphy said when initially informed of the transaction.

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Cowboys’ Parsons Approach Shows High Cost of Delayed Contracts [[link removed]]

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Following Thursday’s blockbuster trade [[link removed]], the Packers are set to give Micah Parsons a four-year, $188 million deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $47 million that’s the largest for any non-quarterback. The 26-year-old surpassed the $41 million per year deal (three years, $123 million) that T.J. Watt signed with the Steelers in July.

Parsons will make $120 million in guaranteed money, also tops among non-QBs, and eighth in the NFL when including quarterbacks, according to data from Spotrac.

While the Parsons deal is massive, Dallas could’ve very likely kept its star defensive player on a more affordable contract if timed properly. Parsons was eligible for an extension last offseason, though Dallas prioritized Dak Prescott (four years, $240 million) and CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million). Prescott is still the highest-paid player in the league by AAV, while Lamb became the second-highest-paid non-QB at the time.

Parsons said late last year that he was willing to sign for less than $40 million per year, though that was before the market was reset by Myles Garrett, who the Browns signed in March for $40 million annually (four years, $160 million). Jones reportedly offered Parsons $40.5 million per year that same month—which would have exceeded Garrett’s amount.

The market reset again last month after Watt signed with the Steelers, before the new Parsons contract reshaped it dramatically.

“Make no mistake about it: We all know we could’ve signed Micah. But we decided to go with the trade,” Jones said.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Is Micah Parsons Trade a Bad Look for NFL?

FOS illustration

Micah Parsons is heading to Green Bay, but the saga around his trade request and Jerry Jones’s comments throughout the process may be indicative of a larger problem in the NFL around the dynamics between ownership and players.

Plus, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace joins us to preview the Cup Series playoffs, which start this weekend. He also talks about his relationship with 23XI team owner Michael Jordan, the status of the team’s ongoing lawsuit against NASCAR, and how he’s balancing being a new parent and a top driver.

Also, we hear from former NBA player Chase Budinger, who now is one of volleyball’s biggest stars. Budinger joins us ahead of the AVP League Championships this weekend, where his team will look to bring home the hardware for the second straight season.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

Kyle Schwarber’s MVP Candidacy Could Lead to Massive Payday [[link removed]]

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber is making a late and historic run at the National League Most Valuable Player award, and he could reshape MLB’s upcoming free-agent market in the process.

Schwarber became just the 21st player in league history with a four-homer game, delivering the quartet of “Schwarbombs” in a 19–4 rout of the Braves on Thursday night in Philadelphia. Much more than one breakout game, though, Schwarber is resetting an MVP race previously thought to be a foregone conclusion for Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers superstar remains the betting favorite [[link removed]] to win for the second consecutive year, and for a third straight when including his American League award in 2023 with the Angels. Schwarber, however, is closing in on Ohtani, particularly as he has claimed the NL lead in both homers (49) and runs batted in (119), and he’s just one homer behind Mariners catcher and AL MVP contender Cal Raleigh [[link removed]] for the major league lead.

Schwarber has hit career highs in a series of offensive categories, with a month remaining in the regular season, as “MVP” chants have begun to ring out at Citizens Bank Park. Those measures also follow Schwarber’s heroics at last month’s All-Star Game [[link removed]], where he dominated the first home run swing-off to lead the NL to victory.

“That guy’s awesome. I don’t know what else to say,” said Phillies teammate Aaron Nola. “The guy’s having a year for the ages.”

Market Dynamics

The 32-year-old Schwarber, meanwhile, is set to become a free agent after this season. He previously trailed Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker in rankings of available talent [[link removed]]—largely because of his age, as Schwarber will turn 33 in March. His exploits and Tucker’s recent struggles [[link removed]], however, could alter those expectations, at least somewhat, as he has amassed a particularly strong walk season to culminate his four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies.

Schwarber has said he would like to stay in Philadelphia, if possible. Wherever he goes, though, a deal in excess of $100 million is nearly certain. The Dodgers’ three-year, $66 million pact signed last offseason with 32-year-old Teoscar Hernández, a very good player but not at Schwarber’s level, provides a starting point for what teams might offer. Former Marlins GM David Samson said on his podcast earlier this month [[link removed]] that Schwarber could ask for a $300 million deal.

Ohtani was the last player to hit free agency as an MVP, garnering a then-record $700 million deal with the Dodgers. He was just the fifth player in MLB history to win MVP in the same year he became a free agent, but Schwarber could become the sixth.

“It’s looking at back when I signed here in 2022, and seeing where you’re at now,” Schwarber recently told The Philadelphia Inquirer [[link removed]]. “The accumulation of work. The things that have made me better. You think about your kids. You sign here, and have your first kid, and then you have two, and your third one on the way. A lot of [those life events] have happened here.”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

Get Your Ticket Now

Front Office Sports returns to The Times Center in Manhattan on Sept. 16 for Tuned In [[link removed]] presented by Elevate.

With official partners Greenberg Glusker and Nielsen, this daylong event will feature candid conversations with the biggest names in sports media, including:

Adam Silver, NBA Rob Manfred, MLB Kim Ng, AUSL Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN Eric Shanks, FOX Sports Luis Silberwasser, TNT Sports Jay Marine, Amazon Rick Cordella, NBC Sports Betsy Riley, NBC Olympics Maria Taylor, NBC Sports Ian Eagle, CBS Sports Noah Eagle, NBC Sports

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STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Coleman Wong ⬆ The 21-year-old from Hong Kong is the early candidate for the US Open’s top Cinderella story. Wong, who battled through the Grand Slam qualifiers last week, beat Australia’s Adam Walton on Thursday to advance to the third round. The world’s No. 173 tennis player is guaranteed $237,000 for making the round of 32, which amounts to 40% of his career earnings before the tournament.

Sky Sports ⬆ The U.K.-based broadcaster agreed to a three-year rights extension with the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. The deal will increase the number of NFL games on Sky by nearly 50%, including the rights to air all NFL games in the U.K. and Europe.

Browns ⬆⬇ The team remains in conversations with the Ohio Department of Transportation over the regulatory agency’s claims that a proposed domed stadium near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will be overly tall and disrupt air traffic [[link removed]]. The Browns have until Tuesday to formally appeal a prior denial of a construction permit. It’s not yet certain whether the ongoing talks will yield a resolution.

Potential World Series previews ⬆ The Blue Jays, the best team in the American League, host the Brewers, MLB’s best team overall, this weekend in Toronto in their only series of the season—and a possible prelude to the 2025 World Series.

Editors’ Picks Cowboys Can’t Bank on Mavericks’ Lottery Luck After Parsons Trade [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The Mavericks lucked into Cooper Flagg through the 2025 NBA draft lottery. YouTube Approached Jason Kelce for Chiefs Game, ESPN Said No [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]ESPN continues to enforce its policy of not lending talents to streamers. Bookie Believes Shohei Ohtani ‘Was Aware’ of Interpreter’s Gambling [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Mathew Bowyer ran the illegal gambling business used by interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Candace Parker Not a WNBA Owner Yet, but Her Business Is Booming [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]Her WNBA peers say she made the blueprint for earning off the court. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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