GREEN BAY, Wis. — ESPN’s Dan Graziano listed Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons among the players good enough to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year if they return healthy and play. Parsons has not played since tearing his ACL in December.
Graziano’s condition for Parsons was a second-half defensive turnaround and a playoff run for Green Bay once he returns. In the same Week 1 notebook, Jeremy Fowler wrote that Parsons could provide a timely October lift for the Packers to contend.
The injury to his left knee came Dec. 14 against the Denver Broncos, and he had surgery later that month. Green Bay opened training camp with Parsons on the active physically unable to perform list in late July. On Aug. 30, the Packers moved him to the reserve/PUP list, which rules him out of the first four games.
Micah Parsons’ Timeline On The Reserve/PUP List
Those four games are against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers play the Chicago Bears in Week 5.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst tied Parsons’ timeline to that window at his Sept. 1 press conference.
“Once we get out of that four-week window, we’re going to be pretty close,” Gutekunst said.
Shortly after last season, Parsons said he hoped to return within the first month of 2026.
In 14 games last season, Parsons had 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles. He was named first-team All-Pro. Parsons has at least 12 sacks in each of his five NFL seasons.
The Packers were 9-4-1 after the loss in Denver. They lost their final three regular-season games, finished 9-7-1, and blew a 21-3 lead in a 31-27 wild-card loss to Chicago.
Micah Parsons And The Oct. 18 Game Against The Dallas Cowboys
Parsons has called Green Bay’s Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys his most optimistic return date. The game is Oct. 18 at Lambeau Field on “Sunday Night Football.”
Dallas traded Parsons to Green Bay in August 2025 for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, a three-time Pro Bowler. Parsons has made five Pro Bowls. Dallas took him 12th overall out of Penn State in 2021, and he was the Defensive Rookie of the Year that season. One of those picks became defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The other became edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, the second of two Dallas first-round picks in 2026.
In Week 4 last season, Parsons returned to AT&T Stadium for a 40-40 tie. He sacked Dak Prescott once and hit him two other times.
Green Bay opens Sunday at Minnesota. Kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium is 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
