The Green Bay Packers have been trending in the wrong direction in an increasingly competitive NFC North division. After finishing 2024 at 11-6, they attempted to fill some of their biggest holes to beat their rivals, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. One of those moves was the surprising trade for edge phenom Micah Parsons.
The Packers gave the Dallas Cowboys Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. They gave Parsons a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. However, their plan for NFL dominance ended when Parsons tore his ACL.
How Micah Parsons’ ACL Rehab Could Impact the Packers Early in 2026
Parsons seemed to take the field in Lambeau with an extra big chip on his shoulder, and who could blame him? He’d spent time being a solid team player, waiting for his extension while the Cowboys hammered out deals for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
He had told the media he believed he was the best player on the planet, but said he didn’t need to make $40+ million each season. However, while he waited on Lamb and Prescott, he watched many of his peers set contract records. First, it was Myles Garrett; then T.J. Watt got an average of $41 million a year; and Parsons announced he planned to hold in.
Just before the 2025 season began, it became obvious that the Cowboys were not interested in working out a deal with Parsons, and he left for Green Bay. The biggest trade of the season looked like a brilliant move on the part of the Packers.
However, now there is devastating news that Parsons may not be ready to return for Week 1 of the 2026 season. According to an article in The Athletic by Matt Schneidman, Parsons is expected to miss the first few games.
“Parsons is expected to miss the first three or four games of the season while finishing ACL rehab, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll be scratching and clawing to play before then,” wrote Schneidman.
This leaves a massive hole in the Packers’ roster that Schneidman thinks they will have to try to fill. He believes they will be best served by looking for a veteran to help Lukas Van Ness.
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“After trading Rashan Gary and letting Kingsley Enagbare sign with the New York Jets, (Brian) Gutekunst might want another veteran in a young room, especially while Parsons remains on the sidelines. Names like Jadeveon Clowney and Leonard Floyd are still avaialble, and both were productive given their age last season.”
In 14 games, Parsons made 41 total tackles, 12.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a pass defended. Even though his season was cut short, he was still ranked fourth in the league on PFSN’s EDGE Impact metric with a grade of B+ and a score of 89.5.
