Micah Parsons says he has 4 months left in ACL recovery; Packers pass rusher on track for October return
On locker cleanout day this past January, Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons told reporters that, realistically, he’d miss the early part of the 2026 season while working his way back to the field from the torn left ACL that cut his 2025 campaign short. A bit more
On locker cleanout day this past January, Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons told reporters that, realistically, he’d miss the early part of the 2026 season while working his way back to the field from the torn left ACL that cut his 2025 campaign short.
A bit more than five months later, that return-to-play timeline is a bit clearer; however, Week 1 is now all but certainly out of the question for Parsons, who said that he’s five months into a nine-month rehabilitation process.
Although Parsons suffered the season-ending injury in a Week 15 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Dec. 14 last year, he didn’t have surgery on his knee until Dec. 29. He also had a meniscus procedure, as reported by ESPN’s Rob Demovsky and The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman on Wednesday.
“Just passed my fifth month on May 29th, so extremely happy where we're at and the direction that I'm going,” Parsons said on Wednesday during Packers OTAs, via Schneidman.
Parsons is coming off an impressive first season with the Packers. Green Bay acquired the 2021 No. 12 overall pick just 10 days before its season opener. He signed a four-year, $188 million deal with the team, including a reported $136 million of guaranteed money , that made him, back then, the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
The Penn State product arrived via one of the more seismic trades in NFL history. It followed an infamous contract standoff with Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who sent Parsons to the Packers for for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and a pair of first-round picks.
Parsons lived up to expectations in Green Bay, stacking 12.5 sacks in 14 games. By that point of the season, he had accounted for a third of the Packers’ pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. His 20.7% pressure rate in 2025 was the third best of his career, per NGS.
He wound up earning the fourth All-Pro honor of his five-year career, including his third as a member of the first team. Plus, he was named a Pro Bowler for the fifth time.

