Jeff Hafley Makes Powerful Predictions About Micah Parsons, Packers’ Defense

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Having suffered a torn ACL at Denver on Sunday, Green Bay Packers star Micah Parsons made a couple of bold proclamations on Monday.

His defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, might have raised the bar on Wednesday.

“Just knowing who he is, just wait until you guys see how hard he works to come back, how fast he probably comes back,” Hafley said.

That falls in line with what Parsons posted on X.

September ! 🫡🦁 pic.twitter.com/bU6XPNOG6L
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) December 15, 2025

Hafley went one step further. One giant step further.

“And somehow,” he said, “I probably, if I were a betting man, I would bet that he comes back even better and probably breaks the sack record next year. So, I’m going to put that on Micah and myself, and you guys can put that out there. That’s the confidence I have in him.”

Parsons’ good friend Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns has 21.5 sacks this year. He has three games to break the record of 22.5 set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and matched by T.J. Watt in 2021.

Parsons, who was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, entered Sunday’s loss at Denver tied for third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks but did have a three-game stretch of six sacks spanning Week 11 against the Giants, Week 12 against Minnesota and Week 13 against Detroit.

It was an incredible debut season as Hafley had to adjust on the fly and Parsons had to adjust to his new surroundings following a blockbuster trade after training camp.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) jogs off the field following the game against the Chicago Bears. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

There were no growing pains, no bumps in the road. The only pain was the one inflicted on opposing offenses.

“I said this to the team, for me, the most important thing about being a coach is, one, I want to do everything we can to win, right? That’s No. 1,” Hafley said. “And then No. 2 is to have your players have personal success. That’s what drives me to coach. And I told them that. Unfortunately, injuries are a part of this game, and they’re hard. It’s upsetting for that person. It’s upsetting for the team. I certainly feel for Micah.

“He’s a guy that came in here literally like three days before we played a game, didn’t even know him. Went (without a) training camp, all offseason and quickly developed a really good relationship with him.”

Some superstars can be selfish divas. That wasn’t Parsons. He applied himself in the classroom and he played harder than anyone on the field. He proved repeatedly that he’s more than just a pass rusher, a point driven home when he forced a fumble against the Broncos.

“The amount of one-on-one time we spent talking football, just getting to know him,” Hafley said. “The amount of respect that I have for him and how he came in and worked, and how hard he worked, and how hard he played, and how hard he does play in the run game, in the pass game, the way he strains. I just have so much respect for the guy, and I’m sad for the guy.”

More than the sacks and NFL-leading total of pressures, Parsons was the driving force behind a Green Bay defense that seemed to make anything possible with January on the horizon.

Now what?

According to Hafley, everything is still possible.

“As far as the team goes,” he continued “I told them you can’t let circumstances dictate behavior. A week ago, we’re in here after we beat the Bears and we’re all walking in here all upbeat and ready to roll. I said, ‘Shame on you if you walk in here any different today.’

“That’s not who we are. That’s our job as leaders and coaches, to make sure that we don’t do that. We’ve got really good players. We’ve played good defense, and we’re going to continue to play good defense. Our guys understand that.”

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) rushes against Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

For the most part, the same group of players that led the Packers to a No. 6 ranking in points allowed last season will be on the field for a defense that enters Week 15 ranked No. 8 in points allowed. The defensive tackles have changed, but it’s the same defensive ends, linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.

What they did so well in winning last season without Parsons should carry over to this season without Parsons.

Nobody played harder than Parsons. He set edges in the run game, he beat multiple blockers, he rushed the passer and he chased the quarterback.

Parsons isn’t the only member of the defense who plays hard, though. At the start of training camp, Hafley said the biggest challenge would be matching the play style that led to last year’s success. Parsons might have amplified it but it’s part of the defensive DNA.

“We’ve got a lot of guys like that,” Hafley said. “We’ve got guys who’ve been doing that around here for a long time. Guys like Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper and Xavier McKinney and Rashan Gary – all those guys – that’s what they’ve done. We’ve played good defense, and we’ll continue to play good defense.

“Are we going to miss Micah? Yeah, we’re going to miss Micah, absolutely. But we’ve got good players who are ready to go. That’s their whole mindset right now. They know that. They take pride in that. I think they’re looking forward to this. We’ve got guys that are getting ready to go in there 4-0 in the North with a game in Chicago to go put us up in the North, and that’s all they’re focused on right now. And I can’t wait for it.”

While the outside world – including despondent fans in Green Bay and hopeful fans in Chicago – might expect the defense to fall apart, Hafley and the players expect to rise to the occasion.

“I think it’s important for everyone to understand that these guys have a lot of pride, and they’re going to get even closer because of this, and they’re going to play well,” he said. “Our best players are going to step up.

“And the guys who haven’t played a lot, that’s been our job all year is to develop those guys so, in situations like this, they’re going to step up. And we’re going to play hard and we’re going to coach hard and we’re going to do everything we can to win. That’s my take on all this. This is press on, full speed ahead and we’re ready to go.”

It was a lot to take in – Parsons setting a sacks record and the defense being good enough to overcome his absence.

“Let’s go,” Hafley said. “Give Micah adversity and watch what happens. Give our defense and give our team adversity, and watch what happens. We’ll find out.”

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