The 2025 season’s reaper has taken plenty of the Green Bay Packers’ best players, including but not limited to Tucker Kraft, Devonte Wyatt, and Micah Parsons.
Other impact players missed games, and it seems like at least four or five players are exiting games week after week.
But it’s a violent sport we watch, and these injuries happen to every team. It should be clear to all that Green Bay’s injuries aren’t due to a lack of information or care. Green Bay has one of the most respected medical teams in the league (and the country), thanks to the legacy of Dr. Pat McKenzie, who recently announced his retirement after 35 years with the team.
McKenzie’s personal skills, connections, and willingness to treat every player like a member of his own family built a foundation that will endure with his successors. As fans, we don’t often understand the delicate relationship between the medical experts and players, and Green Bay was fortunate to have such a celebrated professional in their organization.
The Oshkosh native has been with the team since 1990, first working with Dr. William Schneider, father of former Packers executive and current Seattle Seahawks general manager, John Schneider.
A year after joining the organization, former team president Bob Harlan invited McKenzie to take over as the team’s head physician, and McKenzie held that title until this season, when he became a senior medical advisor for his successor, Dr. Michael K. Ryan.
In an interview with Packers’ Mike Spofford, McKenzie said he didn’t expect to be with the Packers this long, though he felt it was always possible.
I do remember Bob telling me, ‘You will run the show, and as long as you are happy with how this is going, we will have you forever.’ This organization, the way they treat people and what they expect – they expect you to come in and do the best, and they’ll treat you as the best. You can’t find any place better than this to spend the time and work.
McKenzie incorporated the organization’s personal touch into his personal practice, which is one reason he became so well-regarded.
Relationship-building with players, their agents, families, and other doctors was the foundation for McKenzie. While we might hate to see players go down and wish them a speedy recovery, a lot more goes into the medical work.
A player’s livelihood depends on their health, so every player wants to be back on the field as soon as possible while also avoiding aggravating existing injuries. Players place a lot of trust in team doctors. The wrong procedure or treatment can set back the end of a player’s career.
McKenzie sought to help players make the right decision, even if they sought a second opinion. He built relationships with doctors nationwide to give his patients the best available options and put them in the hands of doctors he trusted.
“If they were ACLs or knee scopes or shoulder scopes, those were the routine sports things I did, and I was doing them all,” McKenzie said. “But if they were anything else, if I didn’t feel like I could do them as well as anybody in the country, I would automatically get the guy who was the best in the country and make sure he did them.”
Early in his career, McKenzie would accompany players to their surgeries or other doctor visits to learn more about rehab techniques and further those relationships.
Green Bay is generally viewed as one of the more conservative medical teams in the NFL, unwilling to rush a player back into the lineup. It’s frustrating for players and fans, but it’s the right move in the long term and a symbol of his personal care for his patients.
Players have lauded McKenzie’s approach, and his retirement was met with well-wishes from many former and current players.
“It’s hard to think of anyone I trusted more during my time in Green Bay than Pat,” Aaron Rodgers said. “Multiple times I went under the knife and had him do surgery on me, and multiple times I recovered and came back better.”
Word-of-mouth from players went a long way, and it wasn’t uncommon for non-Packers to seek Dr. McKenzie for surgery thanks to his skills and reputation.
McKenzie will stay with the team through the draft, evaluating potential Packers, before handing the job off to Ryan.
McKenzie believes his legacy is in good hands with Ryan, though he doesn’t view it as his legacy. He treated players with the care they deserved and sought to master his own craft.
I fully recommend reading the full interview between Spofford and McKenzie to learn more about the role of a team’s physician and the positive relationship building that will define Dr. McKenzie’s legacy. The Packers have been unluckier than most this season with injuries, but that’s life in the brutal game of American football. Green Bay has one of the most respected medical teams in the NFL, and much of that was built on 30 years of care from Dr. Pat McKenzie.