Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst felt strongly that his team was ready to compete for the Super Bowl. Thus, he made the biggest trade of his career by sending two first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons.
Gutekunst's gamble proved correct. The Packers had one of the best teams in the NFL, but one thing he could not have predicted was that the team would lose two of its best players to injuries at the end of the season.
Parsons and the team's leading pass-catcher, tight end Tucker Craft, both suffered torn ACLs last season. Kraft's injury occurred in Week 9. Parsons' injury occurred in Week 15. Still, despite the six-week difference from the time of their injuries, Parsons may not need to miss as much time as Kraft, as he is "a little bit of a freak" as Gutekunst described.
"They're doing great," Gutekunst said on SiriusXM Radio. "Tuck comes here every day, and he's obviously a little ahead of schedule, just because his injury happened earlier than Micah's. But Micah is like - he's a little crazy. So I think some of that has taken over, and he's doing really well, too." He added, "So, obviously both of those guys are expected to be back at the start of the season. And they'll be a big part of what we're doing going forward."
The Packers lost in Week 15, in the game where Parsons suffered an injury, and lost all of their next four games. A 9–3–1 record suddenly ended at 9–8–1 after a playoff loss to the Chicago Bears.
Meanwhile, Kraft tied with running back Christian Watson for the Packers' rushing average of 61 yards per game. Parsons led the team with 12.5 sacks. Getting two of the team's most impactful players back early in the season could greatly help the Packers' success in 2026.
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