Why Packers' Micah Parsons could win NFL award despite missing games this season

The Green Bay Packers are going to be playing without Micah Parsons to start the 2026 NFL season, as he's forced to miss the first four games of the season.

They should still have a realistic chance to win games, but their defense is undoubtedly going to be in a bit of trouble without him. However, once Parsons returns, things could dramatically turn around for the better.

If that does happen, ESPN's Dan Graziano believes Parsons, despite missing time to begin the season, has a realistic chance of winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award this upcoming season.

How Micah Parsons can win Comeback Player of the Year despite missing time

"Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons if Green Bay makes a second-half defensive turnaround and a playoff run once he returns," Graziano writes.

Parsons coming back from injury in the middle of the season would be a huge boon for the Packers, but when it comes to winning an award, it's going to take a herculean effort from Parsons to do so.

But if there's any player who could make such a comeback, it would be Parsons. He's been elite every year of his NFL career, never once falling below 12.0 sacks in a season, regardless of how many games he's played.

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He will miss at least the first four weeks of the 2026 season, and if he comes back healthy and starts tearing it up, he could make enough of a difference in three-quarters of a season to win this Comeback Player of the Year award.

While players like Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels will have strong chances to win this award, Parsons could come back mid-season and elevate the Packers defense to such an extreme degree that he cannot be ignored for this award.

Defensive Player of the Year will be nearly impossible to win, but Comeback Player of the Year is something Parsons is very capable of winning, so long as he makes the Packers defense one of the best once he returns and he continues his 12-sack streak.

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