Kyler Murray has indirectly given Packers' Micah Parsons some bulletin-board material

While there have certainly been several storylines surrounding the Green Bay Packers during this 2026 NFL offseason, a list that includes losing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to the Miami Dolphins and replacing him with Jonathan Gannon, trading Rashan Gary, losing several key contributors on both sides of the football in free agency, and a divisive draft class, nothing bears more importance to this franchise than the health of Micah Parsons.

Parsons, of course, saw his first season wearing the Green & Gold come to an abrupt end last December when he tore the ACL in his left knee during the third quarter of a Week 15 defeat to the Denver Broncos. That loss, of course, was the first of four straight for the Packers to close out the regular season, and they then took a heartbreaking defeat to the rival Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round, a game Parsons believes likely would have gone differently had he been on the field.

Despite missing those final few weeks of the year, the Penn State product posted 12.5 sacks in his 14 appearances and earned a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod, a third First-Team All-Pro selection, and a third-place finish in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

As a torn ACL typically requires at least nine months of recovery time, Parsons' status for the Packers' Week 1 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on September 13 remains up in the air, and rumors have been swirling that he may begin the 2026 campaign on the PUP list.

Nevertheless, NFL oddsmakers seem to believe that whenever he does return, he'll at least make enough of an impact to put himself in the Comeback Player of the Year race.

Micah Parsons sits in third in the early 2026 NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds

Here's a quick look at the top 10 in the early 2026 NFL CPOY odds.

As you can see, Parsons currently sits in third at +750.

Now, it's understandable why Parsons might land behind Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, who actually suffered a torn left ACL of his own on the very same day Parsons did, also tearing the LCL in that same knee.

Mahomes is the face of the league, after all, and the fact that he plays the quarterback position obviously doesn't hurt.

And perhaps that's why also sitting in front of Parsons on this list is Kyler Murray, who signed with the aforementioned Vikings after being released by the Arizona Cardinals back in March. Unlike Parsons, Murray isn't battling back from a serious injury.

Yes, he suffered a foot injury in his fifth appearance last year and was ultimately placed on injured reserve before being shut down for the season, but that honestly felt more like a soft benching than anything else.

Look, when Murray is healthy and at his best, he's a fantastic football player. But if both he and Parsons are at their respective best, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who genuinely believes Murray makes more of an impact than Micah, even playing the quarterback position.

That said, though, we all saw what Sam Darnold did in his lone year with the Vikings, so if Murray comes in and plays similarly, it would be hard to argue against him winning this particular award.

Nevertheless, one could conceivably say that seeing Murray, through no fault of his own, has given Parsons a little bulletin-board material for the 2026 season. And if Micah wasn't already working hard to get himself back on the field for the season opener, knowing he could see Murray in Week 1 might just give the extra motivation he needs.

All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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