Micah Parsons confirmed on Wednesday he won't be on the field to open the Green Bay Packers 2026 season.
The star pass rusher spoke to reporters at the team facility, revealing that, in addition to ACL surgery last year, he also underwent a meniscus procedure. Parsons made it clear that there is a strict nine-month rule, starting from the date of surgery, for his rehab, and he's targeting a mid-October return.
"I think the goal has always been not right now, but longevity with my career here," he said, . "I think they want that approach. We have a pretty strong nine-month rule. It's all about, just through the research and the data, there's no good outcomes with players coming back early from [an] ACL. Especially if you had other things that had to get fixed up, so it's just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we're at from there."
Parsons suffered the injuries in Week 15 on Dec. 14 in a game against the Denver Broncos, but surgery took place on Dec. 29. A nine-month recovery timeline means we should not expect to see him on the field before Sept. 29. The Chicago Bears game in Week 5 (Oct. 11) or the Dallas Cowboys affair in Week 6 (Oct. 18) could be in play, given Parsons' mid-October comment.
"Not only is it hard to accept that I'mma miss more time than what I want, but obviously hard to accept the injury," Parsons said. "It constantly replays in my brain. … I haven't accepted it yet, but I work hard as hell every day trying to make sure that I will be better when I come out of this."
Previously, Parsons had said he expected to miss the start of the season, Wednesday's comments cement that stance, and he appears likely to start the season on the PUP list, keeping him out for the first four games of the regular season. Still, his timeline appears on track.
"Just passed my fifth month on May 29, so extremely happy where we're at and the direction I'm going. Obviously, I've got four more months to go," Parsons said. "Just started running on an AlterG [treadmill] the past two weeks, so gaining my progression there."
While many players push to return from injuries early, Parsons is playing the long game, knowing that at 27, he still has a lengthy career ahead and doesn't want anything that could cause his injury to linger further into the season.
"The goal for me is to complete the season … the goal has always been playoffs," he said, underscoring that he's not focused on how quickly he can return, via .
The Packers open up the season against the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
