The Green Bay Packers are still waiting to get Micah Parsons back on the field.
His teammates have shown they believe in him elsewhere, too.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sept. 21 that Parsons was elected as the Packers’ voting player representative for the NFL Players Association.
The news arrived as Green Bay prepared to host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, a game Parsons will miss while rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee.
Rapoport noted that Parsons joins a collection of prominent player representatives that includes Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.
New NFLPA Role Extends Parsons’ Leadership
Each NFL locker room elects one voting representative and three alternates.
According to the NFLPA’s description of the position, the representative communicates teammates’ concerns, speaks for the locker room and helps hold the club accountable to the collective bargaining agreement.
The job has responsibilities beyond relaying a complaint to management.
The NFLPA’s NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported a player representative helps implement the collective bargaining agreement, handles new memberships and attends meetings of the Board of Player Representatives.
Each club’s active members elect their representative by secret ballot, with the highest vote-getter winning the position.
The union’s leadership directory lists Parsons alongside Packers alternates Tucker Kraft, Zach Bako-Bewele and Jordan Love. The four serve as the communication line between Green Bay’s players and union leadership.
Parsons had embraced an informal version of that work. The Packers reported in July that the veteran trained with young edge rushers Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver during the offseason and took both players under his wing.
Green Bay’s official website noted that Parsons produced 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 27 quarterback hits in 14 games last season. He earned his fourth All-Pro selection and fifth Pro Bowl nod before the knee injury ended his year.
Packers Await Parsons’ Bigger Return
The new responsibility gives Parsons another way to influence the Packers while the defense operates without its most accomplished pass rusher.
Green Bay placed him on the reserve/physically unable to perform list before the season, guaranteeing he would miss at least four games. A new rule permits players on the list to begin practicing after two games, and general manager Brian Gutekunst left open the possibility that Parsons could take that step early.
His recovery has required patience. Parsons underwent ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair on Dec. 29, creating a longer rehabilitation than an isolated ACL injury. He spent seven weeks on crutches to protect the repaired meniscus.
When asked in August about returning for Green Bay’s Week 6 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons called the target “very realistic” but stopped short of making a promise. He outlined days that begin at Lambeau Field at 7:30 a.m. and include stretching, running, meetings, walkthrough observation and film review, per Packers.com.
The Packers front office chose Parsons for the long haul when they acquired him and signed him to a record-setting extension.
But Parsons will represent the players sharing the locker room with him — regardless of if he’s on the field or not.
Packers’ Micah Parsons Lands New NFL Leadership Role Amidst Knee Rehab