The Green Bay Packers will miss all-world pass-rusher Micah Parsons early this season. Exactly how much time he will miss remains to be seen.
Parsons' absence hit the Packers hard last season, as they went winless without him.
The countdown is on. Training camp is just around the corner, and we'll soon have a clearer picture of when Parsons will be ready to pull on the green and gold uniform again. We recommend bookmarking this page and checking back regularly for the latest updates on Parsons' recovery, projections on his return date, and his recovery timeline.
- Micah Parsons recovery snapshot
- Projected return date
- Latest updates
- Micah Parsons injury timeline
- Typical return time
Last updated: Thursday, July 2 at 5:00 a.m. CT
Micah Parsons recovery snapshot
- Status: Expected to begin training camp on PUP list
- Projected return: Weeks 8-12
- Time since injury: 6 months, 2 weeks
Projected return date
Confidence meter
Below is a list of potential return dates and our editorial Confidence Meter estimating the likelihood of Parsons being cleared for each game. The projections are based on the latest updates on Parsons' recovery.
Parsons said he won't be cleared to practice for at least nine months post-surgery. He reportedly had surgery on December 29, pushing the earliest possible return to late September. However, it could take several weeks after that before we see him in the regular season.
Week | Return confidence |
|---|---|
1 | 0% |
2 | 0% |
3 | 0% |
4 | 0% |
5 | 5% |
6 | 15% |
7 | 25% |
8 | 40% |
9 | 60% |
10 | 80% |
11 | BYE |
12 | 95% |
Latest updates
Thursday, July 2
Parsons will likely miss at least eight weeks of the regular season, and potentially longer. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Parsons revealed that he also had a procedure on his meniscus, which comes with a strict nine-month post-surgery wait before he can return to practice. That pushes his earliest possible return to late September.
From there, the Packers will likely want to give Parsons at least a few weeks to ramp up his practice before returning to regular-season action.
"The goal for me is to complete the season -- not no relapse -- and playoffs and pushing towards a championship," Parsons said, via Demovsky. "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."
It's expected that Parsons will begin the regular season on the PUP list, which means he will miss at least four games, but his absence will likely extend beyond that. His brother, Terrence Parsons Jr., said the Packers are taking a "patient approach" and that he won't return before Week 8.
Micah Parsons injury timeline
- December 14, 2025: Parsons suffers a torn ACL in the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 15
- December 29, 2025: Parsons undergoes surgery, beginning the minimum nine-month recovery timeline
- May 28, 2026: Matt LaFleur confirms that Parsons will likely begin training camp on the PUP list
- June 3, 2026: Parsons reveals that he also had a meniscus procedure and will likely begin the regular season on the PUP list, costing him at least four games
Typical return time
The fact that Parsons also required a procedure on his meniscus sets the absolute minimum recovery time at nine months. Once factoring in the necessary ramp-up on the practice field, Parsons likely won't return until around 10 months post-surgery.
No two ACL injuries are the same, but players usually take somewhere between nine and 12 months to return.
It's not an exact science, but somewhere in the 300-330-day range post-surgery is a reasonable target. Christian Watson beat expectations by returning from his torn ACL only 294 days after suffering the injury, and even fewer if we start counting from his surgery (the exact date is unknown). However, Parsons also requiring a meniscus procedure tacks on some extra time.
For reference, here's a breakdown of how many days post-surgery Parsons will be for each of the Packers' games this season:
Week | Days after surgery |
|---|---|
1 | 258 |
2 | 265 |
3 | 269 |
4 | 279 |
5 | 286 |
6 | 293 |
7 | 300 |
8 | 304 |
9 | 314 |
10 | 321 |
11 | BYE |
12 | 331 |
13 | 342 |
14 | 349 |
15 | 356 |
16 | 361 |
17 | 371 |
18 | 377 |
Add us as a preferred source on Google