The Green Bay Packers instantly became a better team after acquiring edge rusher Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys. However, while Parsons made his presence felt, he didn’t get to play a complete season or finish the year due to injury.
Now, even as Parsons recovers from his torn ACL, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has a bold prediction for Parsons in 2026.
What Was Micah Parsons’ Response To Jeff Hafley’s Prediction?
Hafley and Parsons developed a great relationship from the jump, and when Parsons went down with his torn ACL, Hafley was the first to put expectations on Parsons’ 2026 season.
As Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett approached the NFL’s single-season sack record, Hafley made the prediction that Parsons would break Garrett’s eventual new record next season.
Now, Hafley made this record-breaking prediction after Parsons had torn his ACL, and admitted he knew the Packers star may not be ready for the start of the season. However, he was showing his confidence in Parsons, expecting him to bounce back better than ever and have an incredible season.
What was Parsons’ response? Embracing the challenge.
“He’s putting a lot of pressure on me. But I’m not scared of those challenges either. They know I’m coming,” Parsons told reporters.
“I had a little fun with Myles. He talking about how he’s going to put the trophy, the Defensive Player of the Year trophy, in the training room so we can look at it. I said, ‘You know what, Myles? Don’t worry. The sun sets. The light is bright, but the sun always sets, too.’ So we coming,” he added.
About Hafley, Parsons said, “It’s always great that you’ve got a coach like that. Me and Haf have a great relationship, and he’s another guy I can’t wait to have another year with.”
Parsons and Garrett train together in the offseason, as if two of the NFL’s stars couldn’t get any better.
Garrett broke the single-season sack record with 23 sacks this season. It was his eighth straight season with at least 10 sacks, and he’ll likely earn his second Defensive Player of the Year award. The Browns are doing better defensively than the Packers, ranking 6th in the PFSN NFL Defense Impact metrics.
However, if there’s a guy to challenge Garrett, Parsons would be the one.
Parsons set an NFL record this season for collecting at least 12 sacks in each of his first five seasons in the league. The young star’s career high is 14 sacks in a single season, which came in 2023. However, Parsons has played in only 13 and 14 games over the last two years and has collected 12 and 12.5 sacks, respectively.
The Packers’ star would have to make a significant jump, but nobody would be shocked if Parsons challenges Garrett in 2026 if he gets another year under Hafley. The Packers’ defensive coordinator has interviewed with six of the nine teams with head-coaching openings this offseason.
