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Realistically, if the Green Bay Packers are going to be a legitimate NFC contender next season, they need star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL in December of last season, to be 100 percent.
How close are you to that precise status?
Parsons revealed to reporters Wednesday that he is at least four months away from playing again, 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 told reporters Wednesday.
If Parsons is on the PUP list, he will be out of the Packers’ games against 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 additional time, he could miss an important divisional game against the Chicago Bears in Week 5 and a possible revenge game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.
Before tearing his ACL, Parsons totaled 12.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and 41 combined tackles in 14 games in what was his debut season with the Packers, who traded defensive tackle and three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark and two first-round picks to the Cowboys to acquire Parsons and sign him to a four-year, $186 million extension last August.
Micah Parsons could miss the matchup with his former team, the Cowboys, if he is on the PUP list for more than four weeks. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
A Pro Bowler in each of his five NFL seasons (2021-25), Parsons recorded 12-plus sacks in each of his first five seasons in the sport and earned his third career All-Pro honor in 2025.
Two months after tearing his ACL, Parsons told our Ben Arthur that he initially felt “like nothing” after suffering the injury. However, Parsons said he ultimately found himself in an “extremely good” headspace. Parsons also made a big proclamation in that conversation.
“Everyone will probably say, ‘Was this guy even hurt?’ “I’m going to start working and be the best player on the field,” Parsons told Arthur.
As for Green Bay’s defense last season, it ranked 11th in points allowed (21.2 per game), 12th in passing yards allowed (194.1 per game), 12th in yards allowed (311.8 per game), 18th in rushing yards allowed (117.7 per game) and tied for 20th in sacks (36.0). But the Packers lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who left to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and traded running back Rashan Gary to the Cowboys.
Before Wednesday’s news, our Ralph Vacchiano had the Packers at No. 14 in his most recent power rankings and placed them in Tier 4 of his contender tiers.
The Packers were eliminated by the Bears in the NFC wild card round last season, marking the second straight year they were sent home in the first round. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, eventual Super Bowl champions, in the wild card round last season (2024).
