Packers' Micah Parsons begins
practicing as he gets closer to making his 2026 season debut
[November 05, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Coming back from a torn anterior cruciate
ligament already has tested Green Bay’s Micah Parsons’ patience in a
variety of ways.
Those challenges will only get tougher now that Parsons is nearing a
return and realizing it may take some time for him to recapture his
All-Pro form. Parsons performed individual drills in practice
Wednesday in the latest step in his comeback as he gets ready to
play for the first time since his Dec. 14 injury.
“My conditioning right now is probably the worst it’s been in my
career,” Parsons said. “That’s just the reality of it. Am I going to
go out there and play 50, 60 snaps how I was doing before?
Absolutely not. It’s just not realistic. My body’s not there yet. I
don’t think my knee’s built for that yet. I didn’t go through
training camp.
“So, am I going to be the All-Pro Micah, the person I once was this
year? Probably not until later, after I go through all my phases and
things like that, but I think what people will see is they’re going
to see, ‘This guy’s ready to play football and he’s going to play
hard and he’s going to help boost this defense, which is already
doing a great job.’ I think those type of things you won’t
question.”
Parsons’ return to practice means the Packers now have 21 days
before they need to activate him from the physically unable to
perform list. That would put him right in line to make his season
debut Nov. 25 when the Packers visit the Los Angeles Rams, though
Parsons isn’t making any timetable regarding his potential return
date.
“I’m not going to pinpoint a day to disappoint anyone or get people
expectations that I can’t meet,” Parsons said. “I’ve got to stack 20
days, and hopefully on that 21st day I feel incredible.”
Parsons' return to practice provided a major morale boost for the
Packers (5-3) as they got ready for Sunday's road game with the New
England Patriots (5-3).
“We know it’ll be probably a couple weeks to get him back in the
swing of things, but just to have him back out there on the practice
field, to know that he’ll be coming back soon, is great,”
quarterback Jordan Love said.
Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 13 games for the Packers last season
before tearing the ACL in his left knee in a Dec. 14 loss at Denver.
The Packers acquired Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys just before the
start of the 2025 season and signed him to a four-year, $188 million
contract with $136 million guaranteed.
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Green Bay Packers' Micah Parsons watches warm ups before an NFL
football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Green Bay, Wis., Sept.
24, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
Parsons’ value to the Packers is apparent from the way they
performed with and without him last year. The Packers owned a 9-3-1
record and were leading the Broncos when he got hurt. They went on
to lose that game and wouldn’t win again the rest of the season.
Green Bay's defense has done quite well without Parsons this year.
The Packers are allowing 4.7 yards per play to rank third in the
NFL. They have 2.8 sacks per game, putting them in a tie for
seventh.
That defense should be even more dangerous once it has its top
playmaker again. It's been a long road back for Parsons, who
credited Packers director of sports medicine/head athletic trainer
Nate Weir for guiding him through his recovery from an injury that
included meniscus damage as well as the ACL tear.
“When I needed a fatherly figure, he was a father,” Parsons said.
“When I needed a friend, he was a friend. When I needed a trainer,
he was a trainer. He adapted. He grew.”
Parsons knows he's going to have to adapt as well once he gets back
on the field and tries shaking off the rust.
“I think you’ll see flashes of All-Pro Micah when I get to pass
rush, and there’s going to be times when you’re going to be like,
‘Dang, what was Micah doing?’ ” Parsons said. “There’s going to be
times when I question myself, too. Like, what was I doing right
there? I’m not ashamed of that. I’m not afraid of seeing the failure
because I just came back from 11-month injury.”
NOTES: LB Zaire Franklin (shin), OL Travis Glover (knee), C Sean
Rhyan (ankle) and TE Josh Whyle (concussion) didn't practice
Wednesday. Franklin has missed Green Bay's last two games. Glover
and Rhyan didn't play in the Packers' 27-19 win over Carolina on
Thursday.
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