A young Micah Parsons had just broken into the NFL and was becoming a star with the Dallas Cowboys when No. 12 in a Green Bay Packers jersey came over and wanted to swap jerseys with him.

Speaking with the Athletic, Parsons recalls the moment, and he still has the No. 12 jersey framed. He calls it a ‘moment of great respect’ between one of his favorite quarterbacks to ever play the game of football.

““He was like, ‘I want to trade jerseys with you,’” Parsons said. “And I’m like, ‘The GOAT, Rodgers, wants to trade jerseys with me?’”

Parsons took that moment as a sign to keep pushing. Rodgers told him that he had everything he needed to become a star. Three years later, Parsons is the highest-paid defensive player to ever play the game, and continues to take steps towards cementing himself as the best pass rusher in all of football.

However, back when Parsons was still gathering his bearings and molding into the superstar he is now, Rodgers gave him the boost he needed.

“To me, it’s a great sign of respect,” Parsons said to the Athletic. “Just the type of guy he is, that he could recognize such a young player in the league, so I have nothing but respect for him and he’s become one of my favorite players just because of that moment … The football side, I’m ready to get my rematch, but the personal side, I appreciate ‘Rodg’ for that because that gave me a boost of confidence. He just said ‘keep going’ and how much he believed in me, so that was big. He didn’t have to do that.”

Parsons was traded from the Cowboys to the Packers this offseason after a standoff for a new contract boiled over. Wit the Packers, he has looked every bit of the player they thought they would acquire, and he has been a huge reason they have vaulted into one of the NFL’s best teams.

Parsons has never sacked or beaten Rodgers in his career, and this week is a chance for Parsons to knock both of those marks off his list.