When is Micah Parsons coming back? Updated return date for Packers star in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Packers have been beset by injuries this season, including long-term injuries to WR Jayden Reed, OT Zach Bako-Bewele and DT Javon Hargrave. They're hoping, though, that their best player can get back on the field soon.
Pass-rusher Micah Parsons has been sidelined since tearing his ACL more than 10 months ago, and his absence has been felt. The Packers lost their first six games without him, including their final five of 2025, but a recent stretch of three wins in four games has Green Bay excited for its ceiling once Parsons return.
Parsons was initially reported to be targeting a return against his former team in Week 6. That didn't materialize, but his return could come soon.
Here's what you need to know about Parsons' road back.
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When is Micah Parsons coming back?
Parsons has not yet been medically cleared and has not practiced, so he remains on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Ahead of the Packers' matchup with the Cowboys, however, he said he's simply being cautious.
"If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl. But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first," Parsons said on his podcast. "What a lot of people don't figure out is it's not just the ACL. It's like, why did the ACL happen? What was weak? Because it all works together. It's a chain. And throughout the history of ACL, they notice if you come back early, there tends to be an overcompensation injury on the other side."
With the Packers playing better and a long season still ahead, Parsons isn't rushing back — a decision he and the team seem to be in lockstep on.
"He's a physical specimen, he's a creature of nature for sure and sometimes you've got to make sure that your body is, I guess, what's the word I'm looking for? Everything is just [in sync]," Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters. "You don't want one leg to be that much stronger than the other leg is what I'm getting at."
Parsons won't return against the Cowboys and might need some time to get up to speed in practice before he's back on the field, so a Week 7 return against the Lions could also be pushing it. The Packers then face the Panthers on "Thursday Night Football" before a 10-day break that ends with a matchup in New England on Nov. 8.
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When did Micah Parsons get hurt?
Parsons tore his ACL against the Packers on Dec. 14 last season. He's more than 10 months removed from the devastating injury.
Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL on the same day and was able to return exactly nine months later, but each body responds differently and each position requires different strengths and weaknesses. Parsons needs his legs to be explosive, and he appears to be taking every step to ensure he is 100 percent healthy the moment he gets back on the field.
For Packers fans, that's something to look forward to in a season that started with such disappointment but has started to grow more positive in recent weeks.
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