Report: Parsons unlikely to return before Week 4

Parsons is coming back from tearing his ACL late last season. The 27-year-old defensive end didn’t practice this week and isn’t expected to practice next week, according to Pelissero. Parsons hasn’t had any setbacks in his rehab, but still isn’t ready for the Packers to open the 21-day window for him to practice before he’s activated. Pelissero points out that it could be November before Parsons is ready for game action. Green Bay is 1-2 this year and 1-8 without Parsons in the lineup over the last two years (including playoffs).

Parsons is nearing a return, but the star pass-rusher isn’t ready to get on the field just yet. LaFleur did say that Parsons has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery, while adding that this is “just part of the process.” Parsons’ return window can be opened at any time, which would then give the Packers a 21-day window to ramp him up before activating him from IR.

This move was expected. Parsons himself said a few weeks ago that a Week 6 return was his “most optimistic” timeline. A spot on the reserve PUP list means Parsons must miss at least the first four months of the season. He is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 15 of the 2025 season. Parsons should still be a force on the defensive front when he’s back, but that won’t happen until at least October.

Interestingly, Week 6 is when the Packers play host to the Cowboys, Parsons’ former team. The star pass-rusher did note that he could also return later and that there is always the possibility of setbacks, but it sounds like the earliest we should expect to see him is Week 6. Parsons opened camp on the PUP list, which didn’t come as a surprise given the timing of his injury last season. It’s been widely believed that Parsons would miss the first few games of the season. If he were to open the year on the PUP list, he would be forced to sit out at least the first four games of the year.

Parsons is unlikely to return before Week 4, the question ahead of us appears to be if it’ll be Week 4 or Week 5. If it’s Week 5, Parsons can be stored on the reserve/PUP list ahead of the season. This timeline has been a consistent drum beat coming out of the Packers since March, so this placement comes as no surprise.

“The goal for me is to complete the season,” Parsons said Wednesday. “The goal has always been playoffs.” Parsons added that the team has a strict nine-month policy for ACL rehab for players with more than one tear and that he had an associated meniscus procedure in December. The updated timeline places Parsons back to full football activities some time in September, likely looking at October before he returns to the field for the Packers.

There’s still plenty of time for Parsons to rehab to be ready in time for Week 1, but Schefter said “the feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season” with a chance to still return fairly early on. Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of last season, which makes being ready in time for the 2026 season a tall task. The star pass rusher totaled 12.5 sacks in the 14 games he appeared in last season and was still named a First-team All-Pro in his first season with the Pack.

“They’re doing great,” Gutekunst said on an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “Tuck’s been in here every day, and he’s obviously a little bit ahead of schedule, just because his injury happened earlier than Micah’s did. But Micah’s such a - he’s a little bit of a freak. So I think some of that has taken over, and he’s doing really well, as well.” He continued, “So, certainly expect both of those guys back early in the season. And they’ll be a big part of what we’re doing moving forward.” Both players are attempting to return from torn ACLs, with Kraft’s injury occurring in November and Parsons’ occurring in December of last season. It certainly sounds like both players could avoid the Physically Unable to Perform list this summer, which would give each player a good chance to make good on their general manager’s words and return early in the 2026 regular season.

Gutekunst declined to put a timeline on Parsons’ return, but he said the team is hopeful for a quick recovery for their star pass-rusher, who was injured in Week 15 last season. Injuries aside, things were going about as well as the Packers could have hoped for Parsons when they went out and traded for him last offseason. He amassed 12.5 sacks in the 14 games he appeared in while posting 41 tackles in total along with 12 TFLs. Given the timing of his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if Parsons were sidelined at the beginning of camp and/or the regular season but it sounds like everything is moving in the right direction.

Parsons suffered a mid-December ACL tear, so this is a reasonable timeline to return. We’d be surprised if Parsons avoided the PUP list at the start of training camp, but it seems like he won’t miss too much of the 2026 season. It’s possible that the Packers add a depth piece after the draft to play next to Lukas Van Ness early in the year.