All-Pro pass rusher rehabbing from torn ACL, eyeing September return

Wes Hodkiewicz

GREEN BAY At first,Micah Parsonsthought maybe, just maybe, he was all right while slowly walking to the visiting locker room at Mile High Stadium in Denver last month.

Or at least that's what the Packers pass rusher was trying to convince himself.

As the team doctors began to test the structural integrity of his knee, Parsons pleaded for their examination to match his optimistic self-diagnosis.

"When doc was checking me out, I was like, 'Doc, anything but the ACL. Make it the MCL. Something,'" Parsons said. "And he's like, 'I don't feel as good.' I just broke down in emotions."

The situation was as feared. Parsons indeed tore his anterior cruciate ligament with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter. In the blink of an eye, his first-team All-Pro season was over.

It was difficult to come to terms with that reality, but Parsons quickly gathered himself and turned his attention to a September comeback (as he first indicated with a Dec. 15 post on X).

Parsons, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery two weeks ago, spoke with reporters for the first time since the non-contact injury against the Broncos. While "flying" through the early stages of rehab, Parsons has high expectations for his return.

"I wanna be just at a really good spot," Parsons said. "There's a timing standpoint they want, but I don't think I'll be on IR I would say that to start the season. I think lofty, I'd be saying Week 1, but realistically, probably like Week 3, Week 4, just to make sure and just getting back into football, just practicing hard and getting ready to sustain, taking my body through what I go through, so I think it's just more of that."

Parsons says he rehabs for about four hours each day at Lambeau Field, calling it "the most challenging thing I've ever faced" and he "wouldn't wish this on anyone." He'll be in Green Bay for another few weeks before returning to Dallas to continue his recovery.

It's an admittedly frustrating swerve on what had been a dream season for Parsons, who tallied 41 tackles, 12 sacks, 26 quarterback hits and 83 pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, in his first 14 starts with Green Bay.

Not bad for arriving just days before the 2025 season following a late-August trade that saw the Packers send two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for Parsons.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive end says the injury has humbled him and reminded him that he isn't invincible, as evidenced by the fact he hasn't had a full night's sleep since the injury.

"It's hard because I'm not a very vulnerable person, and during this period I've probably been the most vulnerable I've been in my whole life," Parsons said. "Telling people how much I need them and appreciate them being there for me. Because to be honest, man, you can't go through this injury by yourself. I can't even put my own drawers on, man. Like I can't shower by myself. I can't even get off the bed myself, so I couldn't imagine being alone. I'm so appreciative of my family being there for me."

Compounding the physical pain is the fact Parsons couldn't be with his team during the stretch run. Green Bay didn't win a game after Parsons' injury, ending its season Saturday night after a 31-27 loss to Chicago in the NFC Wild Card playoffs.

Even then, Parsons never lost faith in his new team, adding "there was no point in the season where I felt like we weren't a championship-caliber team."

It stirs Parsons' belief in what's possible for Green Bay once he is back on the field next season, especially with Head Coach Matt LaFleur in charge.

Amidst all the external conversation about LaFleur's future the past few days, Parsons said he reached out to voice his confidence in the team's seventh-year head coach.

"Matt's one of the best guys and people, like as a person, I've been around since I've been in this league," Parsons said. "I reached out to him when I started seeing this, and I said, 'Man, when I agreed to come here, you were part of the reason why I came here, I want you a part of this and I love you and I think you're a great coach,' and he appreciated those words.

"I just think he cares so much, like he cares so much about the players. I don't think people realize that."

Parsons is also holding out hope that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will return for a third season, though his name has been attached to several NFL head-coaching vacancies.

The two worked closely together after Parsons' arrival to figure out the best way to utilize his talent within Hafley's scheme. They forged a bond while the Packers' defense ranked in the top 10 in most categories at the time of Parsons' injury.

Hafley has spoken passionately about Parsons' impact on the defense and his staunch belief the 26-year-old pass rusher will challenge the NFL single-season sack record once he returns.

That target grew in scale after Parsons' close friend and offseason training partner, Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett, pushed the sack record to 23 earlier this month.

"He's putting a lot of pressure on me. I'm not scared of those challenges, either," said Parsons of Hafley's lofty goal for him. "They know I'm coming. I had a little fun with Myles. He talked about, he's going to put the trophy, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the training room so we can look at it. I said, 'You know what, don't worry, the light's bright but the sun always sets, too, so we're coming.'"

Closer to his new home, Parsons has been touched by how Packers fans and the community have embraced him. He's read their messages, appreciated their prayers and laughed at the memes of fans offering him their knee ligaments.

It's even more fuel for Parsons to get back on the field as quickly and safely as he can. Because there is unfinished business in Green Bay and he can't wait to get back out there.

"It's going to be crazy," Parsons said. "I just look forward to putting on a show. There's a lot of aggression that is built up right now. There's a lot of pain that I feel like I'm suffering that other people need to feel, too. Everything is leading up to that return date of getting back onto the field. It's going to be all year.

"When the game gets taken away from you, it's a different-level mindset you come back with. And I'm ready to see that person and that player."