Micah Parsons' PUP Timeline Could Force Green Bay To Lean On Young Rushers
Ethen HuttonWed, July 1, 2026 at 1:18 PM UTC·3 min readThe Green Bay Packers could be forced to navigate a healthy chunk of the 2026 NFL season without All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. Parsons missed each of Green Bay's final four games of the 2025 campaign, including its Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears, and will enter the new year on the team's PUP list.
His absence proved a significant loss for the Packers' defense, which allowed 400 yards in three of its final four games without Parsons, recording just two sacks during that stretch. The front office addressed the void its defense will face without the four-time All-Pro, beefing up the unit with greater depth during the offseason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Packers bolstered their defensive front with the addition of veteran tackle Javon Hargrave and added to the edge group with the selection of Penn State product Dani Dennis-Sutton in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Dennis-Sutton joins second-year rusher Collin Oliver behind Parsons on the depth chart, though both young players will be called on for valuable reps early in the 2026 season.
Oliver was limited to one appearance in his rookie campaign, finishing a four-year career at Oklahoma State with 23.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss over 43 games. He'll likely come into the season behind Dennis-Sutton on the depth chart, who emerged as a high-profile prospect considering his draft positioning after a productive 8.5-sack campaign for the Nittany Lions in 2025.
The two will split time on Jonathan Gannon's rush rotation early in 2026, as Parsons navigates the final weeks of his recovery leading up to his return.
Lukas Van Ness, Dani Dennis-Sutton Headline Packers' Pass-Rush In Micah Parsons' Absence
Now in his fourth NFL season, former No. 13 overall pick Lukas Van Ness will be looked on to anchor a youthful Packers' pass-rush group in Parsons' absence. The five-time Pro Bowler is slated to return around mid-October, which could set him up for a Week 6 return against his former squad in the Dallas Cowboys.
That will force Gannon's defense to lean on the likes of Van Ness and Dennis-Sutton over Green Bay's first five games, with a relatively favorable start to the season concerning the team's schedule. Van Ness hasn't lived up to first-round expectations over the first three years of his professional career, but could change the narratives surrounding his production with an explosive start to the 2026 campaign.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe rookie of the group in Dennis-Sutton could carve out the starting job opposite Van Ness over the first few weeks of his NFL career. Both Dennis-Sutton and Oliver will be monitored during training camp, as the Packers face the task of sustaining production from the pass-rush without the unit's top asset.
Green Bay's defense projects to retain its status as one of the top units in the league upon Parsons' return, coming off an encouraging campaign last season prior to his injury.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
LeBron James went from his hometown to Tinseltown — here’s where he will likely take his talents next, ranked
LeBron James’ next team is likely the Warriors, with Cavs, Heat in mix- US News
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Melissa Rohlin
NBALeBron James went from his hometown to Tinseltown — here’s where he will likely take his talents next, ranked
By Melissa Rohlin Published July 1, 2026, 6:40 p.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The California Post on GoogleAfter LeBron James decided not to return to the Lakers for his unprecedented 24th NBA season, teams are clamoring to sign one of the greatest players of all-time, who apparently isn’t factoring money into his free-agency decision for the first time in his career.
The competition has gotten so intense that even the governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, weighed in by reposting a report about how the state has the US’s best quality of life and tagging James in it. The PGA Tour got in on the fun as well, posting a photoshopped image of James wearing a Tour-branded polo and cap. Several NFL teams also jokingly shot their shot at the James sweepstakes.
With the competition fierce and James’s decision approaching, let’s break down where the four-time champion and four-time MVP will most likely land. They’re ranked in descending order of likelihood.
6
Golden State Warriors
Pros: James has said that if he could play alongside anyone in the NBA, it would be Steph Curry. They won a gold medal together at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. They met in four straight Finals from 2015-2018. They dominated the NBA over the last decade. How fun would it be if they teamed up in the twilight of their careers? It would be the greatest show in town, regardless of how deep they went in the playoffs. Not to mention, James is good friends with Draymond Green and has a lot of respect for Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
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Cons: Next season, James will be 42, Curry will be 39 and Green will be 37. That’s geriatric in NBA terms. How could they compete against vastly younger and deeper teams such as the Spurs and Thunder? And if Anthony Davis is traded to the Warriors as part of the deal to acquire James, they’d just be adding another oft-injured player to a roster that’s already one injury away from disaster.
Comment: It would be pure cinema. It would be worth the risk. It’s where James would have the most fun.
6
Cleveland Cavaliers
Pros: This would tie a bow on James’ illustrious career. It’s where he was drafted in 2003 as the prospect with the highest expectations in NBA history. It’s where he sprinted past those expectations. It’s where he completed the greatest comeback of all-time, helping the Cavaliers storm back from a 3-1 series deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Warriors, winning the franchise’s first-ever championship.
When the Lakers played in Cleveland in January, James teared up during a video tribute. This franchise still means so much to him. He grew up just 40 miles from Cleveland in Akron, Ohio. He still refers to himself as “The kid from Akron.” The basketball case would be pretty compelling too, with him playing alongside Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Cons: James wouldn’t want to be so far from his family. He has emphasized how hard it has been to miss so many of his children’s milestones throughout his career. He’s not going to move to the East Coast and be absent for all of his 11-year-old daughter’s volleyball games. Also, ever since James turned 40, his passion has become golf. Cleveland winters don’t exactly facilitate beautiful days spent on the green.
Comment: This would be the storybook ending for James. But it’s hard to imagine he’d pull the trigger on it.
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6
Miami Heat
Pros: The Heat already acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo, and pairing him with James would be thrilling. James has strong ties to the Heat after carrying them to four straight Finals from 2011-2014, winning two championships. James has great relationships with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra. It’s hard to imagine James going somewhere in which he has no history at this point, so the Heat could be a destination that makes sense.
Cons: When James returned to Miami in March, it was obvious he doesn’t have the same sentimentality for the franchise that he has for Cleveland. He didn’t get choked up. He didn’t wax poetic about his time in Miami. Also, it’s going to take a while for the Heat to figure things out and become contenders in the East. Considering James is fast-approaching retirement, time is a luxury he doesn’t have.
Comment: James and Antetokounmpo would be an exciting pairing, but I don’t think this is really on the table.
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Minnesota Timberwolves
Pros: This would be a basketball dream fit for James. Imagine him playing alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels. That team would be so good. James loves Edwards, whom he mentored during the Olympic Games. The two of them would be riffing off of each other in the locker room and creating poetry on the hardwood.
Cons: It’s Minnesota. It’s freezing. It’s wet. That about sums it up.
Comment: There’s no way James is moving to Minnesota. It’s fun to imagine, but this is a nonstarter.
6
Denver Nuggets
Pros: If there’s one player James doesn’t hesitate to heap praise on besides Curry, it’s Nikola Jokic. After the Nuggets swept the Lakers out of the 2023 Western Conference Finals, James was in awe of Jokic, praising his basketball IQ and literally tipping his hat to him. On his “Mind the Game” podcast, James added that Jokic is the most “dominant, complete player” he has played against.
Cons: James has no history with the Nuggets. Narratives are important to him. Would he really join Jokic’s team in what would potentially be his final season? Nah.
Comment: It would be fun in theory, but it ain’t happening.
6
Honorable mention: San Antonio Spurs
Pros: If James were prioritizing winning his fifth championship above all else, he should go to San Antonio. Led by the 7-foot-4 phenom Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs skyrocketed past their expectations this season, reaching the NBA Finals. But they lacked something very important: Someone with championship experience who could lead them in crunch time. They had double-digit leads in each of their four losses before making last-second mistakes that had major repercussions. James would be the perfect antidote to those mental collapses. He’d be surrounded by young guns. But San Antonio just signed Tobias Harris to a two-year, $31 million deal, all but closing the door on that opportunity.
Cons: Before the Harris signing, this was fun to think about. The idea of a real-life passing of the torch from James to Wembanyama would’ve been fascinating to witness.
Comment: Oh, well. It was fun to think about for three seconds.
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WATCH: Kissing daredevils climb to top of Empire State Building spire for marriage proposal * WorldNetDaily * by Joe Kovacs
WATCH: Kissing daredevils climb to top of Empire State Building spire for marriage proposal
By Joe Kovacs
A couple of kissing daredevils took their love to new heights on Wednesday, climbing to the top of the Empire State Building, unfurling a banner and apparently popping the question of marriage.
BREAKING: Two people have climbed to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, holding a banner from the skyscraper’s antenna reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
As of now it’s unclear how the pair reached the top of the… pic.twitter.com/rUPZ6nc1eK
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 1, 2026
Ivan “Vanya” Beerkus, 32, and Angela Nikolau, 33, who have an online following for their skyscraper climbs across the planet, flew a banner reading, “‘When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”
BREAKING — The couple seen atop the Empire State Building have been IDENTIFIED as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus.
The couple released a Netflix documentary in 2024 called “Skywalkers: A Love Story.”
They supposedly ” Found Love Thousands of feet in the sky, illegally… pic.twitter.com/4VQ1pATPoo
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) July 1, 2026
The New York Post reports: “After lingering at the top of the tower for around 30 minutes, the climbers began making their way down the spire to the viewing platform, which appears to have been evacuated.
Photos of the banner that was placed on top of The Empire State Building minutes ago + what looks like a proposal. The photos are straight from the Instagram account of Angela Nikolau who just put these up (one of the two people who climbed this). #EmpireStateBuilding pic.twitter.com/TJGglZfqsD
— Tommy DiDario (@tommydidario) July 1, 2026
“As the couple reached a platform at the base of the spire, Beerkus dropped down on one knee and proposed to Nikolau – who was wearing a black cat mask – with a ring that she later flaunted on Instagram.
Kissing daredevils scale Empire State Building antenna, hanging flag 1,454 feet over NYC with cringe message https://t.co/7BpNViVAa2 pic.twitter.com/WcjnlqhHTg
— Leslie Mack (@lesliemack) July 1, 2026
“The couple was taken into custody without incident upon reaching the ground and charges are pending, according to the NYPD.
Every man everywhere has been shamed. Dude proposes on top of the Empire State Building. How’d they get up there? pic.twitter.com/vieFE0LUSU
— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) July 1, 2026
“It was not immediately clear if they bought tickets to access the observation deck, but a source familiar told The Post they allegedly breached a mesh gate on the 102nd floor – a publicly accessible floor – to reach the 103rd floor, which gave them access to the spire.”
Memes of the event are already appearing, including:
Closeup of the banner they were holding on the Empire State Building pic.twitter.com/DmMK8yStmO
— Politi_Rican (@TheRicanMemes) July 1, 2026
Follow Joe on X @JoeKovacsNews
Joe Kovacs
Executive News Editor Joe Kovacs (@JoeKovacsNews) is the author of the best-selling book, "Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything." His previous books include "Shocked by the Bible 2: Connecting the Dots in Scripture to Reveal the Truth They Don't Want You to Know," a follow-up to his No. 1 best-seller "Shocked by the Bible: The Most Astonishing Facts You've Never Been Told" as well as "The Divine Secret: The Awesome and Untold Truth about Your Phenomenal Destiny." He is an award-winning journalist of more than 20 years in American TV, radio and the internet, and is also a former editor at the Budapest Business Journal in Europe. Read more of Joe Kovacs's articles here.
Empire State Building, New York City
