When will Micah Parsons return to the playing field for the Green Bay Packers this season? It appears optimism is growing that Parsons, who is starting the regular season on the PUP list, will return by Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, and the earliest possible comeback -- in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears -- remains on the table, per one NFL reporter.
From Tom Pelissero of The Ringer ahead of Week 1: "Green Bay is known as one of the most conservative teams medically in the NFL. But there is optimism that he’ll be back Week 6 against his old team, the Cowboys, and potentially even Week 5 against the Bears."
Parsons is finishing rehab after tearing his ACL and suffering damage to his meniscus in December of last year. He will miss games against
the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but based on new rules for 2026, Parsons could start practicing with the team as soon as Week 3, and he would be eligible to come off the PUP list and play as soon as Week 5.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst recently said that Parsons would be "pretty close" to returning after his four-week window on the PUP list elapses, but the team planned to remain cautious in regard to when their All-Pro edge rusher returns.
"We’ll see. He’s going to be down the first four because of the rules, but we’ll see once we get out of that time where he’s at," Gutekunst told Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com.
Parsons has long said that returning in Week 6 against the Cowboys would be something of a best-case scenario, and he wouldn't return until he felt like himself as a player. The team and player must also consider the desire to have Parsons at his best to end the season, and avoiding any risk of re-injury that could damage the long-term viability of a Hall of Fame-caliber player.
Parsons, in his first season in Green Bay, produced 12.5 sacks over 14 games and led the NFL in total pressures at the time of his injury. He was voted a first-team All-Pro, and he was named a Pro Bowler for the fifth time in five years to start his career.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Could Micah Parsons return for Packers in Week 5 against Bears?
