The Green Bay Packers didn't mind not having a first-round pick this year because they had Micah Parsons. Landing a game-wrecking pass rusher like him was worth the gamble, especially with his prime years still ahead.
However, Matt LaFleur's team hasn't had much luck with the former Dallas Cowboys star. He was banged up when he arrived in Wisconsin last season, and he suffered a torn ACL late in his first year with the team.
Given the nature of the injury and when it happened, he won't be able to give his team 17 games in 2026, either. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, he's likely to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list:
"Packers standout pass rusher Micah Parsons, looks like they're expecting him to miss the first few games, maybe, potentially be a PUP candidate, we'll see how that works out, but when they open the season, it doesn't look like Parsons will be ready, coming off that torn ACL," Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show.
The Packers need to find a Micah Parsons replacement
This isn't necessarily surprising, but Packers fans were still holding out hope to see the former Penn State star take the field for Week 1. Still, these injuries are delicate and tend to linger, so the Packers will have to err on the side of caution.
By starting the season on the PUP list, Parsons will most likely miss the first three or four games of the season. That means he won't be out there to face the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons at the very least, with the Week 4 matchup vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also in jeopardy.
The NFC North is arguably the most competitive division in professional football. As such, not having Parsons for the first month of the season could be the difference between winning the division and not even making the playoffs.
Considering that, general manager Brian Gutekunst simply cannot afford to rest on his laurels. Lukas Van Ness has yet to prove his worth, and the Packers must find someone to start in Parsons' place. They should be in the mix to sign Joey Bosa or, even better, reunite Josh Sweat with defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
The Packers hope to get a decade's worth of strong play from Micah Parsons. As such, they can't risk him reaggravating that injury by rushing him back to action. Even when he comes back, he'll likely be on a snap count for the first couple of weeks, and it might be a while before he's back to his usual workload, mobility, and explosiveness.
Even so, they shouldn't regret pulling the trigger on that big trade and even bigger contract extension. When healthy, Parsons is one of the most unblockable forces in the game, and he'll make this team a legitimate Super Bowl contender for as long as he's healthy.
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