December 14, 2025, tied two huge injuries together, but the recovery paths for Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons have already split in a big way.
Mahomes, who tore his ACL just before the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff run collapsed, is now expected to be fully cleared by the time Chiefs training camp opens, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Parsons, who suffered the same injury just hours later, is headed for a much slower climb back. He’s likely to open the regular season on the PUP list and may not be back until October.
That gap might look alarming at first glance, especially for Packers fans who remember the same day both stars went down. But the injuries were never truly identical, and the rehab timelines reflect that.
Mahomes had surgery on December 16, only two days after the injury, because he also tore his LCL in the same knee. That quicker procedure gave him a head start on rehab.
Parsons, meanwhile, didn’t have surgery until December 29. The delay was needed for swelling to go down, and he also had a meniscus cleanup, which carries a minimum nine-month recovery window.
He’s now approaching the seven-month mark since surgery.
There’s also a difference between being cleared and being ready for a full NFL workload. As Matt Conner of Arrowhead Addict put it, there’s a "very real difference between fully cleared and carrying a full workload."
Mahomes may be close to playing in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean Parsons is suddenly behind schedule. The expectation has long been that he would need more time. In fact, Parsons has already said the earliest possible return is tied to that nine-month minimum after surgery, which points to late September at the soonest.
Even then, he would still need time to build back up. Missing the offseason program and training camp makes that ramp-up especially important.
The more realistic picture has Parsons starting the season on the PUP list, which would cost him four games and make Week 5 the earliest possible return. A more believable window, though, is somewhere between Weeks 8 and 12.
Parsons made clear what he’s aiming for when he spoke to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky: "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 mindset the Packers want, too. There’s no reason to rush him, and no sign they plan to.
So while Mahomes’ return is moving quickly enough to create some noise, it doesn’t change the reality for Green Bay. Parsons is still on track, and in some ways ahead of schedule. The Packers just have to get through a chunk of the season without him.
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