Packers' Micah Parsons begins practicing as he gets closer to making his 2026 season debut

GREEN BAY, Wis. — 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.

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.

“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.