The Green Bay Packers lost to the Denver Broncos on Sunday evening, but the result of the game might not be their biggest loss. Star pass rusher Micah Parsons left the game in the third quarter after suffering a non-contact injury, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that the team believes he has suffered a torn ACL pending an MRI.
If the MRI confirms those fears, the Packers are in a tough position. Parsons is likely out for the rest of the year and could miss the opening chunk of next season recovering from the injury. While there are some players that could step up and fill the void, the attention should turn to Rashan Gary, who may be able to play his way back into the team’s plans after Sunday night.
Michah Parsons' Injury Opens Door for Rashan Gary to Prove Himself
A first-round pick with the Packers in the 2019 draft, Gary came into his own the previous four seasons, collecting 32 sacks and 31 tackles for loss. While the sack numbers have been there this season, getting to the quarterback 7.5 times, his role has decreased as Kingsley Enagbare’s snap count has increased.
While Gary got a passionate defense from defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley this week, it appeared that his time in Green Bay has an end date. After signing a four-year, $96 million contract midway through the 2023 season, Gary pushed money down the road in a restructure before this season and has a $25.7 million cap number for 2026, according to OverTheCap.
With Collin Oliver and Brenton Cox working their way back from injury and Barryn Sorrell making his case for snaps, Green Bay has another wave of talent that could replace Gary next season. But Parsons’ injury could give the Packers a case to keep Gary around and a chance for an olive branch.
The Packers probably can’t go into next season with Gary’s current cap number – especially with just $9.7 million in cap space entering 2026, per Spotrac. But they have shown a willingness to meet in the middle as they did with Jaire Alexander last summer, so perhaps they could travel a similar path with Gary.
Although Alexander ultimately was released, the Packers worked with him and offered an incentive-laden deal due to the talent of the player before he rejected the deal. While Gary hasn’t been what they expected this year, the Packers could go back once again and possibly shorten his contract, allowing him to have a “prove it” year and a chance to cash in ahead of the 2027 season.
Either way, it appears that Gary may not be done in Green Bay if Parsons indeed has an ACL, and it could be on him to make it happen if the Packers want to keep him around.