Micah Parsons said Wednesday that he is following the Packers' nine-month no-football timeline after reconstructive ACL surgery, putting a return to the practice field in late September and game action shortly after that in play. The star edge rusher, who had surgery Dec. 29, said he is more than five months into the recovery process and expects to miss a handful of games if the timetable holds.
That update matters because Parsons is one of Green Bay's most important defenders. He earned his fourth career All-Pro selection last season and led the Packers with 12½ sacks, then missed the last three-plus games of the regular season after hurting his knee in Week 15 at Denver. Green Bay went 9-3-1 when Parsons went down, then lost again without him and exited in the opening round of the playoffs.
Parsons said in January that he expected to miss time, and on Wednesday he made clear the recovery plan has not changed. He said the focus is on long-term health rather than a rushed comeback, adding that the goal is to finish the season, avoid a relapse and push toward a championship. He also said he does not want to force his way back for the first few games and re-injure himself in the process.
The progress is real, but so is the mental grind. Parsons said he is “extremely happy” with how rehab is going, while also admitting that he has not accepted the injury yet and that it replays in his head constantly. “I would definitely say it is hard for me to accept,” he said, adding that he works hard every day to make sure he is better when he comes out of it.
He is still absorbing the Packers' new defensive system mostly by sight. Parsons said he is missing the offseason morning meetings because he is with the medical staff, then heading out to watch practice with defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington, who runs through calls and assignments for him. Parsons said he is getting more of a walk-through view than a meeting-room one, even as he works to keep pace with the scheme around him.
The next checkpoint is clear: late September could bring a return to the practice field, followed not long after by game action. If Parsons stays on schedule, the Packers should get one of their best players back in time to change the shape of their defense before the season is very old.
