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OTA's kick off in the NFC North but the Packers are already hurting | 1st & North
OTAs are officially underway, and the division is already dripping with drama. This week, the crew breaks down the Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy quarterback battle in Minnesota, why the Lions are panicking about their safety depth, and whether the Packers can survive a month without Micah Parsons. Plus, we look at Caleb Williams’ demand for the number one offense and Aaron Rodgers' reunion tour in Pittsburgh.
GREEN BAY, Wis. - Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons’ return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament figures to take place a little later than the All-Pro initially hoped.
Parsons said the day after the Packers’ wild-card playoff loss to the Chicago Bears that he hoped to return for the season opener while acknowledging that Week 3 or Week 4 seemed more realistic. Parsons offered a more conservative estimate while updating reporters on his recovery Wednesday.
He underwent surgery Dec. 29 and said that he also "had to get my meniscus cleaned up." Parsons said he’s following a "nine-month rule" in terms of how long to wait before returning.
Parsons was asked if that meant a nine-month delay before playing, or before practicing at all.
"I don’t know," Parsons replied. "I just know it’s a pure nine months (with) no football."
The backstory:
The nine-month mark would be Sept. 29, after the Packers’ third game. Considering Parsons may need more time to ramp up to game readiness, his actual return date could come a few weeks after that, though he isn’t setting a specific date.
Two weeks after that Sept. 29 game is when the Packers host the Bears at Lambeau Field.
"I would definitely say it is hard for me to accept," Parsons said. Not only is it hard to accept that I’m going to miss more time than what I want, but obviously hard to accept the injury. It constantly replays in my brain. … Like you don’t even know how much time I spent on Chat GPT about my injury and how to like I just can’t accept where I’m at. I’m like, ‘Man, how do I keep progressing and progressing?’ "
Parsons earned All-Pro honors and had 12½ sacks in his first season with the Packers before tearing his left ACL on Dec. 14.
The Packers were 9-3-1 and were leading the Denver Broncos when Parsons injured his knee. They lost that game 34-26 and didn't win again the rest of the season without him.
"The goal isn’t for me to go out there and re-hurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games," Parsons said. "The goal has always been playoffs, and I think we’re all on the same page."
Parsons acknowledges maintaining that approach is difficult because he’s so eager to get back on the field and start working with new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who came over after Jeff Hafley left to become the Miami Dolphins head coach.
"All you can do is just try to make yourself better every day, and that’s all I try to do, control what I can control," Parsons said. "Everyone is completely different in their processes whatever they had to get cleaned up throughout their surgery, so everyone’s different. Everyone’s bodies are different, everyone heals different."
Parsons also discussed the advice he has received about his recovery.
"Because of who you are, you’re going to feel good but we’ve got to control you from feeling too good," Parsons said regarding one message he received from a doctor. "So he was like, ‘Sometimes you’ve just to lose the battle so you can win the war.’ So that’s how long this process is. Every month you’re going to get a little bit better, every day you’re going to get a little bit better. It’s not one of those things where I’m going to be feeling terrible for months at time. Every day you’re going to get stronger, and you’re going to feel yourself get stronger."
What's next:
Parsons’ injury spoiled what had been an impressive debut season in Green Bay after the Packers acquired Parsons from Dallas for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks. Green Bay then signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract extension that included $136 million guaranteed.
He isn’t the only elite pass rusher to change teams over the past year.
The Cleveland Browns sent Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday for 2024 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-rounder and a 2029 third-rounder.
Parsons said he hadn’t spoken yet with Garrett since the trade, noting the two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year probably had received "1,000 text messages" by now. But he did offer a message of his own Wednesday for his fellow All-Pro.
"I would say it’s a whole lot different from the NFC versus the AFC and I think everyone knows that," Parsons said. "So I look at the AFC as like the AFC is cool, there’s a couple sharks. The NFC is shark infested. It’s shark infested. It’s like playoff football every week. There’s not really weak opponents in the NFC. I’m going to put it like that."