Packers’ Micah Parsons Has Nickname for Brian Gutekunst; It’s Not Changing Soon

INDIANAPOLIS – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s friends and colleagues call him Gutey.

Micah Parsons has a different nickname.

“He calls me the ‘No Man,’” Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine.

Gutekunst might have to tell Parsons “no” a bunch of times as the calendar turns to August, and Parsons gets the itch to join his teammates on the field at training camp, and September, when the team kicks off the 2026 season. Coming off a torn ACL, the Packers will proceed with an abundance of caution.

The return-to-play decision will be handled no differently than for any other player, Gutekunst said. However, because of what the Packers gave up in the trade – two first-round picks, Kenny Clark and a record $186 million contract – there will be no rush to get Parsons back on the field.

“No, it will be the same process that we always go through,” Gutekunst said. “Obviously, it starts with the doctors and he’s not going out there unless the doctors give him full clearance and play, and then it will come to Matt and I and then we’ll decide if that’s what’s best for the Green Bay Packers.”

No Regrets

There’s something else with the word “no” that fits Gutekunst. He has no regrets for making the blockbuster trade, only to see Parsons suffer a serious injury.

“Zero. None,” he said. “He impacted our football team, not only on the field but in our locker room, in such a positive way. We’re really excited for years to come.”

While Gutekunst didn’t view Parsons as the missing piece to a Super Bowl team, it’s also true that he wouldn’t have made the trade if he didn’t think the team was ready to get to the Super Bowl.

The injury, which was sustained at Denver, sidelined Parsons for the rest of the season. Including that game against the Broncos, the Packers went 0-5 without him. He’ll almost certainly miss the start of the upcoming season. It’s reasonable to wonder how long it will take Parsons to round into game-wrecking form, which means the team’s ability to compete for the Super Bowl this year could be impacted, as well.

If that’s the case, half of Parsons’ four-year contracts will have gone down the drain.

“That’s the risk in the National Football League,” Gutekunst said. “He didn’t have a long injury history – it wasn’t like we took that kind of risk. But we could draft a guy in the first round with the picks we gave up and they could get hurt this year, as well. That’s life in the National Football League, and he’s a young man and we fully expect him to be back at the level that he was at when he left.”

Huge Debut Season

Parsons performed at an elite level in his debut season. Even while missing the final three games of the regular season, he finished seventh in the league with 12.5 sacks (official stats) and third in pressures (according to Next Gen Stats) en route to All-Pro honors.

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Congrats to @MicahhParsons11 on first-team All-Pro honors pic.twitter.com/WUuCTNCghb
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 10, 2026

More than just a game-wrecker, he was a leader – something he amped up a couple days after the season-ending loss to Chicago, when he said “the change is the players” and players need to play like their “life depends” on how they perform on Sundays.

So, there will be no regrets from Gutekunst when the first round of the NFL Draft in two months comes and goes without making a pick.

“No different than when we talked back when we acquired him, players like Micah very rarely become available and the way he impacted our football team, you guys saw it,” Gutekunst said. “He’s a rare player that can do what he can do when he’s on the field and the way he affects the game and the way he affects winning. So, no regrets there and certainly expect him back better than ever once he gets rolling.”

Better than ever is Parsons’ intention. It’s what the Packers will need as they once again reload with the goal of getting to – and winning – their first Super Bowl since 2010.

Parsons has said Week 1 is the goal. Gutekunst might have to step in as the “No Man.”

“We’ll get to that at that time,” he said. “It’s been a few weeks since I’ve touched base with him, but he communicates pretty well and everything’s going really well. I’m sure not only with him but a couple others, there’s going to be a lot of pressing to get out there and play.

“He calls me the ‘No Man,’ but, yeah, we’ll see. Obviously, we made a very big investment in him and protecting that investment I think is really important.”

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