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Rob Demovsky
Multiple Authors
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Micah Parsons’ initial hope that he could return within the first month of the season was never realistic, and the Green Bay Packers’ star edge rusher has come to terms with that.
Parsons said Wednesday that he’s just past the five-month mark from his ACL surgery, which he revealed also included a procedure on his meniscus, and that he won’t be cleared to be back on the football field — even for practice — until the nine-month mark.
That would put his earliest possible return to practice in late September, and the Packers likely would not allow him to play in a game until after several weeks of practice. Parsons is likely to open the season on the physically unable to perform list, which means he would automatically miss at least four games.
“The goal for me is to complete the season — not no relapse — and playoffs and pushing towards a championship,” Parsons said. “The goal isn’t for me to go out there and rehurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games. The goal has always been [to be available for the] playoffs, and I think we’re all on the same page.”
Parsons sustained his left knee injury Dec. 14 against the Denver Broncos and said he had surgery Dec. 29. Shortly after the season, he said he hoped he could return within the first month of the 2026 season, which opens Sept. 13 at Minnesota.
“We have a pretty good strong nine-month rule,” Parsons said of the Packers. “Through the research and the data, there’s no good outcomes with players coming back early from an ACL, especially if you had other things that had to get fixed up. It’s just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we’re at from there.”
If Parsons starts the season on the PUP list, he would be eligible to return to practice ahead of the Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears. Players coming off PUP status have a three-week window in which they can practice without being added to the active roster. The Packers play the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons’ old team, in Week 6 on Oct. 18.
Parsons said the latest thing he has added to his rehab is running on an anti-gravity treadmill. He said he has kept in close contact with general manager Brian Gutekunst, coach Matt LaFleur and director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer Nate Weir throughout the process and feels that everyone is on the same page.
“I don’t think Gutey or Nate or Matt wants me to go out there if I’m not at 100% and risk reinjury and lose me for the year and it’s just a waste of a year,” Parsons said. “Everything is about playoffs and winning football games deep [into the season]. Yeah, those games are important, but maybe we don’t see Dallas twice, but we see Chicago twice and the games that we have in December or, even more, playoff games. … We got a tough schedule this year, and I think for the betterment of everyone, everyone wants me at 100 and wants me in those games so we can make this championship run.”
The Packers, who gave up Kenny Clark and two first-round picks to acquire Parsons last August, were 9-3-1 before Parsons’ injury. Their lost their final four regular-season games and were eliminated by the Bears in the opening round of the playoffs.
“These windows are very small, and they come every four or five years in this league,” Parsons said. “Obviously, you can’t keep everybody. So, we just have to thank God that we have another opportunity this year. When one door closes, another one’s open, and that’s something that we have guaranteed. We have this opportunity this year to have a chance to stay healthy and push for a playoff run. I accepted that fate, but I accepted the future, also.”
