December 14, 2025, won't be forgotten anytime soon.
It started with Patrick Mahomes suffering a torn ACL just moments before the Kansas City Chiefs' playoff hopes came to a stunning end. Just hours later, the Green Bay Packers lost star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to a torn ACL. They still made the playoffs but didn't win a single game following Parsons' injury.
Fast forward to July. The similarities end here. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Mahomes is on track to be fully cleared in time for the start of Chiefs training camp. It's a different story for Parsons, who will likely begin the regular season on the PUP list and may not return until October.
Packers fans may wonder why there is such a gulf in their recovery times. Why is Mahomes already on the verge of returning, but Parsons could face multiple months longer on the sideline? There are various factors in play, but the bottom line is that Packers fans shouldn't panic in the slightest. Let's break it down.
Follow along with the latest injury updates with our Micah Parsons recovery tracker
Patrick Mahomes' imminent clearance shouldn't worry Packers fans about Micah Parsons
Mahomes and Parsons suffered torn ACLs on the same day, but that's about all they have in common with their respective injuries.
No two ACL injuries are the same, and that's evident here.
Mahomes underwent surgery on December 16, just two days after suffering the injury, which was necessary due to tearing his LCL in the same knee. That allowed him to attack the rehab process earlier.
Parsons didn't have surgery until December 29, which was necessary to wait for swelling to go down, and he also needed a meniscus cleanup, which requires a minimum nine-month recovery window. He's closing in on the seven-month mark post-surgery.
It's also unclear how soon Mahomes will be able to participate fully at practice. As Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict notes, there's a "very real difference between fully cleared and carrying a full workload."
There's a good chance Mahomes will play in Week 1, but Parsons may need to wait at least another month before his regular-season return. That was always the expectation, though, and not something to concern Packers fans.
When Micah Parsons is expected to return for the Packers this season
So, the million-dollar question: When will Parsons return?
He has already said there is a minimum recovery of nine months post-surgery as a result of the meniscus cleanup. That puts the earliest possible return in late September. But, like with Mahomes, being cleared doesn't mean being ready to play immediately. Parsons would likely need a few weeks to ramp up his practice reps, which is particularly important after missing the offseason program and training camp.
Parsons will almost certainly begin the regular season on the PUP list, which will rule him out of four games and make Week 5 the earliest date he could return. In all likelihood, though, a more realistic return window is somewhere between Weeks 8 and 12.
It's also important for Parsons to feel 100 percent and not cut any corners in his recovery.
"The goal for me is to complete the season -- not no relapse -- and playoffs and pushing towards a championship," Parsons said, via ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "The goal isn't for me to go out there and rehurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games. The goal has always been [to be available for the] playoffs, and I think we're all on the same page."
That's the correct approach. The Packers won't rush him back, nor should they.
Mahomes' imminent return may raise questions about when Parsons will be back out there, especially since they suffered their season-ending ACL injuries on the same date. But the recovery timelines were always going to look different.
The Packers will need to navigate a good portion of the season without their all-world pass-rusher, but all indications suggest Parsons is on schedule (or even ahead of schedule) in his recovery.
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