The Green Bay Packers will likely need to navigate their way through the first month of the regular season without Micah Parsons, but the NFL has thrown down the gauntlet in time for his return.
Green Bay's full 2026 regular-season schedule has landed, and it potentially tells us when the league expects Parsons to make his return. Let's break it down.
All things considered, outside of a road trip to Minnesota, the opening four games are fairly favorable. Green Bay will feel confident about getting past the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That aligns with the time Parsons is expected to miss.
ESPN's Adam Schefter believes Parsons could start the season on the PUP list, which would rule him out of the opening four games. Based on the Packers' regular-season schedule, it sure looks like the NFL is anticipating a return around Week 5. Just look at those matchups.
Here comes the big guns. The Packers are on a collision course with the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and New England Patriots in a five-week span, right around when Parsons could make his return. Coincidence? Hmm.
Week | Opponent |
|---|---|
1 | at Vikings |
2 | at NY Jets |
3 | Falcons (TNF) |
4 | at Buccaneers |
5 | Bears |
6 | Cowboys |
7 | at Lions |
8 | Panthers (TNF) |
9 | at Patriots |
10 | Vikings |
11 | BYE |
12 | at Rams (Thanksgiving Eve) |
13 | at Saints |
14 | Bills |
15 | Dolphins |
16 | at Bears (Christmas Day) |
17 | Texans (MNF) |
18 | Lions |
Micah Parsons' return could perfectly coincide with the Packers' toughest stretch
The NFL is all about entertainment. It's why Week 1 features a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. And why Robert Saleh is facing the New York Jets in his first game back in the head coach seat. And why the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers will raise the curtain on the International Series in Melbourne, Australia.
None of that is by accident.
Green Bay has a host of blockbuster matchups this season, and those games are undeniably more exciting with a healthy Micah Parsons on the field. Having the Packers face the Cowboys, of all teams, without Parsons, would make it far less interesting.
Weeks 5 to 10 could define the Packers' season. Yes, it's early, but in that stretch, they will face all three NFC North rivals, the AFC champions, the ascending Cowboys, and the NFC South champions.
By the time Chicago arrives in Green Bay on October 11, Parsons will be 302 days removed from his ACL tear (almost 10 months). For comparison, Christian Watson returned after 294 days. It took Rashan Gary 289 days to return from his ACL tear. No two injuries are the same, but Week 5 feels like a realistic return date to circle for Parsons, just as we expected.
Based on the Packers' schedule release, it sure looks like the NFL shares that belief. Green Bay will need to get past the opening four games, including three on the road, but then the fun really begins.
And Parsons might return just in time.
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