GREEN BAY, Wis. — At a minimum, the Green Bay Packers will have to play at least five more games before witnessing the return of superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons.
On Substack, Tom Pelissero indicated that it’s “possible” Parsons doesn’t take the field until some point in November. He hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery from the torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) he sustained in December, but the Packers, despite their 1-2 record, aren’t pressing the issue when Parsons is so close to the finish line.
While on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, Parsons had to miss at least four games to begin the season. He’ll be eligible to come off the list following Sunday’s meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he isn’t expected to practice next week.
The 27-year-old Parsons went down with the injury in the team’s Dec. 14 game against the Denver Broncos last season, but he didn’t undergo surgery until more than two weeks later on Dec. 29. The Packers have an internal rule that players returning from significant injuries can’t practice or play until they clear the nine-month post-surgery benchmark. For Parsons, that benchmark was four days ago.
It was later revealed that Parsons also sustained damage to his meniscus, which complicated the timeline for when he’d be able to play again. That’s unlike Tucker Kraft, who suffered a clean tear of his ACL 42 days earlier. He was able to breeze through his rehab, participate in the majority of training camp, and take the field for the Sept. 13 opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
“When [Tucker Kraft] was walking at four weeks, I’m still on crutches,” Parsons said in August. “It’s a completely different situation. I did seven weeks of crutches while Tuck was already up, so you could just add those three weeks right there. It’s a whole different rehab program because you’re trying to protect the meniscus. I don’t even like to compare.”
After Sunday, the Packers will play four more games in the month of October. They’ll host the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys—Parsons’ former team—in back-to-back home games on Oct. 11 and 18. That was the original—and mostly hopeful—timeline that Parsons could have returned, but that won’t be happening. A grand comeback against a Bears team that knocked the Packers out of the playoffs in miraculous fashion last year, or a grudge match against the team that traded him last summer would’ve been ideal for fans, but this isn’t a Hollywood script.
“As you guys have heard me say, we’re going to be pretty cautious with that,” said general manager Brian Gutekunst on Sept. 1. “We’ve got a big investment there; he’s really important to what we’re trying to do, and to accomplish the goals we want late in the year, he’s going to need to be at his best, so I want to make sure that happens.”
New rules were implemented this year that would allow players on the PUP list to begin practicing after two weeks, as opposed to having their 21-day window opened after four as had been the case in the past. Gutekunst said that, once the Packers reach that point, conversations centered around what Parsons can and can’t do would begin to take place. As of last week, he’ll remain on the shelf.
The Packers will then travel to Detroit to clash with the Lions on Oct. 25, and then host the Carolina Panthers four days later for their second Thursday night game of the season. The Packers’ first game next month will be Nov. 8 versus the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. If that’s the first realistic target date for Parsons, he’ll have to practice for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 21. That’ll allow him to have a three-week ramp-up period.
Nevertheless, the Packers traded a pair of first-round picks and Kenny Clark to the Cowboys in exchange for Parsons. He had 12 sacks in 14 games before his injury, and that’s while playing on a pitch count to begin the season. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that Parsons is going to be a franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future, and the Packers aren’t going to jeopardize that by rushing him back into action sooner than he’s ready.
For Parsons, he wants to return even better than he was before.
“I think, when you come out of these situations, you’re either going to be better or worse,” said Parsons. “And, for me, I’ve done everything I possibly can to be better. I think people are worried about if I come back—I just feel like people should be worried about how I’m going to be when I come back. That’s my mentality, how I feel, and how I’m going to approach it when I’m back.
“People are worried about the knee—they should be worried about how I’m going to play when I get back. The anger, the frustration, the things I’m going to have to let out because of how long it’s been since I played. I think that’s what people should really worry about—how great Micah is going to be when he gets back. Not just when I get back, because that’s the short-term; it’s about how great I’m going to be, how I can help my teammates, and how far we’re going to go in a playoff run.”
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.
We need Micah to come back stronger than Kraft (both physically and mentally lmao). Keep him out as long as he needs! We’ve got super bowls to win