MINNEAPOLIS — CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson said during Sunday’s broadcast of the Green Bay Packers opener at the Minnesota Vikings that she asked Micah Parsons whether he has Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys circled on his calendar. Parsons told her, “We will see.”
Parsons has been on the reserve/physically unable to perform list since Aug. 30, which rules him out of Green Bay’s first four games. Week 5 against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 3:25 p.m. CT is the first game he is eligible to play. The Cowboys arrive seven days later for a Sunday night kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
Parsons tore the ACL in his left knee during a Week 15 loss at the Denver Broncos on Dec. 14. The repair also involved his meniscus, and he had surgery on Dec. 29.
Green Bay Packers Can Open Micah Parsons’ Practice Window Sept. 21
A rule change this season lets Green Bay open a practice window for a player on the reserve/PUP list after the second game rather than at the end of the four-week period. The earliest date is Monday, Sept. 21, the day after the Packers play at the New York Jets. Opening the window starts a three-week stretch in which Parsons can practice without being activated.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team will be close to having Parsons available once the four-game window ends, and that the size of the contract is why he intends to move slowly with it.
“We have a pretty good idea that once we get out of that four-game window we’re going to be pretty close,” Gutekunst said at his Sept. 1 news conference. “As you guys have heard me say, I’m going to be pretty cautious with that. We’ve got a big investment there.”
“He’s really important to what we’re trying to do, and to accomplish the goals we want to late in the year, he’s going to need to be at his best,” Gutekunst continued. “So I want to make sure that happens, but he’s eager.”
Parsons has declined to attach a date to his return since training camp opened, and he has separated his own case from a teammate coming back from an isolated ACL tear.
“I did seven weeks of crutches, so you could just add those three weeks right there,” Parsons said on Aug. 4. “It’s a whole different rehab program because you’re trying to protect the meniscus.”
He has resumed straight-line running. Changing directions is still ahead of him.
Later in camp, Parsons told NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger and Stacey Dales that Week 6 was his most optimistic return date, and that setbacks were still possible.
“I think it’s very realistic,” Parsons explained of the Oct. 18 game on Aug. 4. “Me and the staff, we’ve got to put the work in. We’ve got to do our part to make it possible. It’s not off the board but we’ve got to put the work in.”
Dallas Cowboys Visit Lambeau Field On Oct. 18
The Oct. 18 game is the fourth Sunday night meeting between the two teams and the second in as many seasons. Green Bay is 17-13-1 against Dallas in the regular season and has won seven of the last nine.
Dallas traded Parsons to Green Bay on Aug. 28, 2025 for Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Parsons signed a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
Last season’s meeting at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 28 ended 40-40. Parsons finished that game with 1 sack and 3 tackles.
Parsons appeared in 14 games for the Packers last season and recorded 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 pass defensed. He was named first-team All-Pro for the third time. Over five seasons, Parsons has 65 sacks and 297 tackles in 77 games, with a Pro Bowl selection every year.
Green Bay was 9-3-1 when Parsons went down in Denver. The Packers lost their last four games, finished 9-7-1, and fell 31-27 to the Bears in the wild-card round.
The Cowboys made a second trade with Green Bay on March 11, acquiring Rashan Gary for a 2027 fourth-round pick.
Dallas opens at the New York Giants on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC. Green Bay plays at the Jets on Sept. 20 at noon CT.
