Packers Fans Torch Micah Parsons After Latest Injury Report
The blockbuster trade sending Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers was widely viewed as one of the worst moves in recent memory.
Dallas dealt Parsons in August 2025 after a messy contract standoff, receiving veteran DT Kenny Clark plus 2026 and 2027 first-round picks in return.
Critics blasted the Cowboys for trading away a 26-year-old generational pass rusher in his prime to another NFC contender, especially after Parsons immediately signed a record-setting $188 million extension with Green Bay.
At the time, many believed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had folded under pressure and weakened Dallas' defense long-term.
But perceptions have now shifted.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Parsons is a “candidate to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List” to start the 2026 season, and that the Packers are reportedly preparing to be without him “for several weeks” to start the year.
More news: Bill Belichick Jokes NFL Should Rename Lombardi Trophy After Tom Brady
Parsons' torn ACL, which he suffered in Week 15 against the Denver Broncos, and delayed recovery have reignited debate about his durability.
A trade that once looked reckless now looks far more defensible from Dallas' perspective, and fans online didn’t hold back.
“WTH has he been doing. How is Pat more on track than him,” one user wrote.
“Excuses started already 🙄 not even June yet,” another commented.
“Dallas won this trade. Got us looking like the OKC trade,” another fan replied.
“Didn’t he and Mahomes tear their ACLs the literal same day?” one other added.
“47 million per year lol,” another wrote.
“What a terrible trade for the Packers,” another commented.
“Vintage Parsons,” one other user replied.
More news: Brenden Rice, Son of Jerry Rice, Signs with Packers, Lands on 5th Team in 2 Years
More news: New Malik Nabers Injury Update Emerges Ahead of Giants OTAs
A torn ACL is widely considered one of the most demanding injuries for athletes because recovery is rarely linear.
Players typically require roughly 9 to 12 months before returning to full football activity, and most players don’t return to elite form until their second season back after the injury.
Many sports medicine experts also warn that returning too early dramatically increases reinjury risk.
That timeline is why Patrick Mahomes' recovery has drawn attention across the NFL.
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in the exact same week as Parsons, yet recent reports say the Chiefs quarterback is already "way ahead of schedule" and trending toward being available around the start of the 2026 season.
Kansas City executives have even suggested the bigger challenge may be preventing him from pushing too hard during rehab.
Parsons, meanwhile, faced durability questions even before the ACL injury.
He has now missed multiple games over the last two seasons due to injury, including four games in 2024 with a high ankle sprain and time earlier in the 2025 season because of a lumbar facet joint sprain before suffering his ACL tear.
Those concerns resurfaced immediately after reports suggested Green Bay could place him on the PUP list, fueling online claims that Parsons is becoming "injury prone."
2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 3:20 PM.