Packers wait on a healthy Micah Parsons as they chase the NFC North

The Green Bay Packers remain a playoff-caliber team, but their 2026 outlook comes with a significant asterisk: star pass rusher Micah Parsons is set to miss the start of the season. After a year that saw Green Bay regress even as it returned to the postseason, the Packers are betting that a healthy Parsons and some defensive tweaks keep them in the NFC North race.

The Parsons situation

Parsons, acquired in a blockbuster a year ago, tore his ACL and underwent a meniscus procedure last December, and he's expected to open the season on the physically unable to perform list — likely wiping out the first four to six games. That takes Green Bay into mid-October without its most dynamic defender, and the rest of the front will have to carry the load. Complicating matters, the Packers traded away edge rusher Rashan Gary this offseason, leaving a shallow edge group that will lean on former first-rounder Lukas Van Ness to finally break out.

Regression and reinforcement

Green Bay slipped from 11 wins in 2024 to 9-7-1 in 2025 — a mark that included an embarrassing tie — before losing in the wild-card round to the rival Bears. Quarterback Jordan Love remains the centerpiece, and the roster is still young and talented on both sides. The Packers hired Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator, a well-regarded addition, but they entered the draft without a first-round pick (a cost of the Parsons trade) and still need help in the secondary and on the offensive line.

Season outlook

The Packers are a contender if things break right, but the early-season path is treacherous. Navigating the first month-plus without Parsons, on top of a thin edge group, could put Green Bay in an early hole. If the defense holds up until Parsons returns and Love takes another step, the Packers will be right in the thick of a loaded NFC North. The talent is there; the question is whether they can survive the wait for their star to get healthy.