Realistically, if the Green Bay Packers are going to be legitimate NFC contenders next season, they need star pass-rusher Micah Parsons — who tore his ACL in December of last season — to be at 100 percent.
How close is he to that precise status?
Parsons revealed to reporters on Wednesday that he’s at least four months away from returning to play, via ESPN. That likely means he would begin the 2026 NFL season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, ruling him out for the first four games of the year.
“The goal for me is to complete the season … the goal has always been [to be healthy for the] playoffs,” Parsons advised reporters on Wednesday.
If Parsons is on the PUP checklist, he’ll be out for the Packers’ video games in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings (Week 1), New York Jets (Week 2), Atlanta Falcons (Week 3) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 4). If Parsons is out for any further time, he may miss an vital divisional tilt in opposition to the Chicago Bears in Week 5 and a doable revenge recreation in opposition to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
Prior to ripping his ACL, Parsons totaled 12.5 sacks, two pressured fumbles and 41 mixed tackles over 14 video games in what was his debut season with the Packers, who traded defensive deal with and three-time Professional Bowler Kenny Clark and two first-round picks to the Cowboys to achieve Parsons and signal him to a four-year, $186 million extension final August.
Micah Parsons may miss dealing with his former workforce, the Cowboys, if he is on the PUP checklist for longer than 4 weeks. (Picture by Cooper Neill/Getty Photographs)
Parsons, a Professional Bowler in every of his 5 seasons within the NFL (2021-25), has logged 12-plus sacks in every of his first 5 seasons within the sport and earned his third profession All-Professional honor in 2025.
Two months after tearing his ACL, Parsons told our Ben Arthur that he initially felt like “tremendous nothing” after struggling the damage. Nevertheless, Parsons mentioned he finally discovered himself in an “extraordinarily good” headspace. Parsons additionally made a giant proclamation in that dialog.
“Everybody will in all probability say, ‘Was this man even injured?’ I’m going to hit the bottom working and be the very best participant on the sphere,” Parsons advised Arthur.
As for Inexperienced Bay’s protection final season, it ranked eleventh in factors allowed (21.2 per recreation), twelfth in passing yards allowed (194.1 per recreation), twelfth in yards allowed (311.8 per recreation), 18th in speeding yards allowed (117.7 per recreation) and tied for twentieth in sacks (36.0). However the Packers misplaced defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who left to turn out to be the pinnacle coach of the Miami Dolphins, and traded edge rusher Rashan Gary to the Cowboys.
Previous to Wednesday’s information, our Ralph Vacchiano had the Packers ranked 14th in his most recent power rankings and positioned them in Tier 4 of his contender tiers.
The Packers had been eradicated by the Bears within the NFC wild-card spherical final season, marking the second consecutive yr that they had been despatched residence within the opening spherical. They misplaced to the eventual Tremendous Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles within the wild-card around the season prior (2024).
