Micah Parsons has been waiting since last December to get back on the field, and Stephen A. Smith won’t question how long it’s taking.

The ESPN analyst defended the Green Bay Packers star after Skip Bayless questioned Parsons’ “delay” in coming back from his torn ACL. “Are you trying to say that Micah Parsons is dragging his feet and isn’t anxious to come back? Because I certainly will never accuse him of that,” he told Bayless.

The back-and-forth came a day after Green Bay sacked Bryce Young six times in a 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers to improve to 5-3 without Parsons.

Stephen A. Smith Answers Skip Bayless’ Hot Take on Micah Parsons

Notably, Bayless didn’t hide where he stood on the recovery. “I tweeted last night at the end of the game, who needs Micah?” he said. Smith minced no words in response: “Well, see, that’s just disrespectful. That’s just so disrespectful.”

Bayless also set Parsons against his two teammates who played Thursday: “Tucker Kraft … tore his ACL, and he was back at practice in 271 days. Christian Watson tore his ACL. He was back at practice in 274 days … Micah is now 320 days and counting.”

However, Smith tried to look at the injury from Parsons’ perspective. “Everybody’s body’s different. I mean, what one person might suffer from, another person might not. He’s carrying a lot of weight. His quickness, his agility, all of those things come into play,” he noted.

Parsons remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, and the Packers hope to open his practice window next week.

Bayless also didn’t budge when Smith pressed him: “It smells like that to me, that he’s not as urgent as he should be about testing it and trying to get back for the good of his team.”

He also went after Parsons for criticizing the Kansas City Chiefs on his podcast this week while he’s still sidelined: “But his vocal cords are completely healthy because he podcasts like crazy every week … It’s a bad look. And if I’m his teammate, I’m not loving it that he’s talking a better game than he’s playing because he’s playing no game.”

Parsons’ injury was more than a torn ACL. He tore both the ACL and the meniscus in his left knee against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 14, 2025. His operation came about two weeks after the injury and included work on his meniscus, which has required a more cautious rehab plan than an ACL reconstruction alone.

The Packers have taken a cautious approach. Parsons must receive medical clearance before returning to practice, with Green Bay monitoring the strength and stamina of his surgically repaired leg.

Before Thursday’s game, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked whether Green Bay would open Parsons’ 21-day practice window next week, ahead of the Nov. 8 trip to face the New England Patriots. He said, “I sure hope so…. I’m saying there’s a chance.”

Parsons still had not been medically cleared to practice as of Thursday. An open window would give Green Bay a look at him on the practice field, though he would not necessarily play right away.