Micah Parsons practiced Wednesday for the first time in 324 days. The Packers opened the 21-day window on their All-Pro edge rusher, and he explained why a return he once expected in September arrived in November: the ACL was not the whole injury.
Parsons had surgery Dec. 29, two weeks after going down in Denver on Dec. 14. He said the operation included full repairs to both the lateral and medial menisci along with the ACL, and that combination dictated the timeline.
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“I had a full lateral and medial meniscus repair including the ACL,” Parsons said.
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“So when people [with isolated ACL tears] are walking at three weeks, I’m still not weight-bearing. So my quad was fully dead. I didn’t get off crutches for 7-8 weeks. If you count those two months, I’m exactly where a nine-month [timeline] is supposed to be. That’s why everyone’s timelines are different. I had a lot of damage done to my leg and it’s a miracle I’m standing here today and opening my [practice] window this early. Even then, we didn’t even know if we’ll be back by November.”
Teammates Christian Watson and Tucker Kraft each returned roughly nine months after ACL surgery; Parsons said he failed several strength and movement tests along the way, pushing the date back while trainer Nate Weir and the medical staff held the line. He said the patience was “absolutely worth it.”
The star defensive end’s window closes Nov. 25, when the Packers visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Eve, 21 days after his first practice. Coach Matt LaFleur has indicated the team will use most of that time, and NFL Network reported the Rams game as the target. Parsons won’t confirm it.
“My conditioning right now is probably the worst it’s been in my career,” he said. “I’m not going to be the All-Pro Micah, the person I once was, this year.”
A realistic debut is a situational pass-rush role on a modest snap count, building toward December rather than a full game in his first appearance.
Josh Jacobs reacts to Micah Parsons’ return
Green Bay is 5-3 without Parsons and has won four of its past five, including a 27-19 win over Carolina in which six players recorded sacks.
Josh Jacobs was asked on Wednesday about Jeffrey Simmons’ addition to the Bears’ roster.
“I mean, one thing about Jeffrey Simmons, he’s one of those players too that you kind of like when I heard about it, cause I didn’t hear about it until I came here and a lot of guys was talking about it. I was like, man, they got better. And that’s just the reality. I’m like, they got better. He’s a great player. But yeah, man, we getting a very special player back too. So we’ll see how it goes.”
Parsons did individual and positional drills Wednesday and could join team periods next week. Flashes in November, a bigger role in December, the full version later. That is the comeback Parsons described.
Edited by Aman Kashyap
