Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley is no longer on the same side as Micah Parsons, but he still believes the Green Bay Packers star can make history in 2026. Once he returns from injury, Hafley believes Parsons can threaten Myles Garrett's single-season sack record.
Hafley, who worked with Parsons as the Packers' defensive coordinator in 2025, said it “wouldn't surprise” him if the 26-year-old topped the record-breaking 23 sacks Garrett recorded last season. He just knows new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will have to push him there.
“Definitely [he can break it],” Hafley said at the annual league meeting, via Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I just don't have to be the one — someone else has got to hold him to it. It wouldn't surprise me if he did it.”
Jeff Hafley, aware #Packers are on his schedule next season, is firmly hoping it’s a Week 1 matchup.
It’s no secret why: No Micah Parsons.
He’s sticking with prediction Parsons will break sack record next season. Just hopes it doesn’t come at his expense. pic.twitter.com/xz2JHD9neG
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) March 31, 2026
Hafley is acutely aware that he will have to face his former team in his first year as the Dolphins' head coach. He joked that he hopes the meeting comes in Week 1 so he can hopefully avoid Parsons, who is still rehabbing a torn ACL.
Parsons' ongoing ACL rehab is part of what makes Hafley's claim so shocking. While nobody doubts the talented Parsons could potentially make history, Garrett's record would be a massive hill to climb in his first season back from a devastating injury.
Parsons missing any games would also likely remove him from that conversation in 2026. Garrett got out to a hot start in 2025, but he needed every snap of his 17-game season to break the record in the final regular season game of the year.
