Micah Parsons' ACL rehab outlasts Patrick Mahomes' — SkimNews
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- Micah Parsons tore his left ACL on Dec. 14, 2025, less than 2½ hours after Patrick Mahomes’ season-ending left-knee hyperextension in Kansas City; Parsons went down without contact in Denver.
- Matt LaFleur said there was a chance Parsons could start practicing the next week, but the pass rusher remained on the physically unable to perform list with no set return date, more than three months after Mahomes was fully cleared on July 24.
- Micah Parsons waited two weeks for surgery, partly while awaiting the birth of his child; Patrick Mahomes had no meniscus injury but a torn LCL, which prompted immediate surgery.
- Dr. Sharif Tabbah said Parsons’ full meniscus repair required no bending beyond 90 degrees for four to eight weeks; Parsons went eight weeks without walking unaided, versus most ACL patients walking without crutches within two weeks.
- Tucker Kraft returned to practice 271 days after his Nov. 2 ACL injury and 8½ months after surgery, was cleared for full drills 2½ weeks later and debuted in Week 1; Christian Watson practiced 274 days after his injury. Green Bay almost never places an ACL player on the practice field until nine months after surgery.
- Brian Gutekunst said Sept. 1 that Green Bay would be “pretty close” once Parsons became eligible after Week 4; at 319 days after the injury and 304 after surgery, Parsons remained on PUP.
- Matt LaFleur said Parsons needed his body “in sync,” with one leg not much stronger; Tabbah said his protocol targets a strength differential below 10% and withholds bar-backed double-leg work until the gap is 20% or less.
Why it matters: Parsons is already beyond the 271- and 274-day rehab timelines of Packers teammates Tucker Kraft and Christian Watson, yet he remains on PUP with no return date. His repaired meniscus and need for near-even leg strength explain why Gutekunst’s earlier “pretty close” projection has not produced a practice return.
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