Micah Parsons Targets Mid-October Return, Potentially Missing First Six Games

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons said he will not return from a torn ACL until at least mid-October as he follows the team’s nine-month recovery protocol after surgery on December 29, 2025. Parsons spoke to state media members for 20 minutes on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at the team facility.

He said the Packers maintain a strict nine-month rule of no football for players recovering from combined ACL and meniscus injuries, placing his earliest possible return on September 29, 2026.

If the Packers open his 21-day practice window in late September or early October and he uses the full period, Parsons’ first game would be October 25 at Detroit in Week 7. Green Bay players typically use all 21 days of the window. Parsons said in January he expected to miss the first three or four games of the 2026 season.

Returning against Detroit would mean missing six games. “We have a pretty good strong nine-month rule, so it’s just all about, just 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,” Parsons said. Parsons said the goal has always been longevity with his career in Green Bay.

He added that general manager Brian Gutekunst, head athletic trainer Nate Weir, and coach Matt LaFleur do not want him to play unless he is at 100 percent. “It’s about knowing when to go and it’s all about feeling great,” Parsons said. “Everything is about playoffs.

The Packers were 9-3-1 when Parsons suffered the injury in Week 15 of the 2025 season. They went 0-5 afterward and finished 9-8-1. Parsons said the defensive line has enough talent to endure without him, naming Karl Brooks, Javon Hargrave, and Devonte Wyatt.

He also expressed confidence in Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and especially Luke Van Ness, saying Van Ness could become the favorite by season’s end if he stays healthy. Parsons said the team is only in month five of recovery and that decisions will depend on how he and the medical staff assess his progress.