Micah

Parsons

Parsons is recovering from a torn ACL. He plans to be back on the field as early as September. The 26-year-old EDGE told reporters Week 1 is his optimistic target return date, while Week 3 is the more realistic target return date. Either way, Parsons doesn’t anticipate beginning next season on injured reserve, which is a significant development for the Packers.

The worst was confirmed on Monday, as the Packers will now be without their star pass rusher for the remainder of the season. Parsons suffered a non-contact knee injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Broncos and remained down for several minutes before being helped off the field by trainers. Head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that things “didn’t look good,” for Parsons, with reports later coming out that the team feared a torn ACL. There isn’t much to explain here. Parsons is one of the premier pass rushers in the league. He totaled 12.5 sacks in 14 games this season while also posting 41 tackles, 12 TFLs, and forcing two fumbles. The Packers now have to find a way to get by in the regular and postseason without their best player, who has accounted for 37.9 percent of their sacks this season.

Parsons’ season would be over if that is indeed the case. He will undergo further testing soon. Per PFF’s initial statistical Week 15, post-game tally, Parsons totaled 19 tackles, 79 quarterback pressures and 14 sacks in his first season as a Packer. He is under contract through 2029, having signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension this offseason.

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise given the nature of the injury. Parsons suffered a left-knee injury while attempting to change direction in pursuit of Bo Nix and remained down for several minutes after the play. It had the appearance of a serious injury, but we’ll likely get an official word on things within the next 24 hours.

This one didn’t look good. Parsons suffered a non-contact knee injury late in the third quarter while pursuing Bo Nix and remained down for several minutes after the play. The injury occurred to his left knee when he attempted to change direction, and Parsons was in obvious pain. He eventually walked off the field with the assistance of trainers, but this has the potential to be a devastating injury for Parsons and the Packers’ sixth-ranked defense.

No surprise as he was not listed on the injury report through the pectoral listing in Week 11 as well. Green Bay is likely simply managing his reps. Lukas Van Ness (foot) is questionable to return after a full week of limited sessions. Van Ness hasn’t played since suffering the injury in Week 6. Meanwhile Quay Walker (neck) is doubtful with a stinger.

Parsons popped up on the injury report with a pectoral issue and was listed as limited on Wednesday. Given he still practiced in some capacity, it is possible the Packers are carefully managing Parsons’ pectoral soreness with a lighter practice workload. He is not yet in danger of missing Week 12 against the Vikings, but his practice status later in the week and potential new information about the severity of the injury will shed light on his game status. Fellow EDGE Lukas Van Ness (foot) was also limited in practice as he works his way back to playing for the first time since Week 6. The Packers will hope to have both edge rushers healthy against the Vikings’ stumbling passing offense.

The “poison pill” clause was specifically intended to block Green Bay from trading Parsons to the Eagles, who previously made offers for the star defender. The Packers, in turn, used the same clause on Kenny Clark, who cannot be traded to an NFC North team. As Schefter notes, this addendum to the trade was kept quiet until teams noticed both teams’ 2028 first-round picks were unavailable ahead of the trade deadline. Parsons was never likely to end up in Philly, given how much the Packers paid to land him and the $188 million contract he got from Green Bay. The poison pill clause was simply put in there to help Jerry Jones sleep at night.

The Packers’ vaunted defense will have its new star pass rusher on the field. Unfortunately, the Packers declared CB Bo Melton, S Zayne Anderson, RT Zach Tom (oblique), LG Aaron Banks (ankle/groin), TE Ben Sims and DL Warren Brinson inactive. Losing both Tom and Banks hurts Jordan Love’s protection. It would be unsurprising to see the Packers dial up quick-hitting pass plays to help reduce pressure from Washington’s pass rush. On the plus side, Packers CB Nate Hobbs (knee) is active.

Parsons played on 30 of the Packers’ 67 defensive snaps last week. We expect him to suit up for Week 2, while hopefully increasing his snap count a bit. He produced one sack and generated a 27.3 percent pass-rush win rate. He should continue to impact the game, even if he remains on a snap count.