The Green Bay Packers have made it official: Micah Parsons will not be on the field when the 2026 season opens.
Green Bay placed the star pass rusher on the Reserve/PUP list Sunday, which knocks him out for at least the first four games as he continues to recover from a torn ACL and an accompanying meniscus procedure.
That means Parsons will miss the Packers’ games against the Vikings, Jets, Falcons and Buccaneers to start the year. His first chance to return comes in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 11.
Parsons had already pointed to Week 6 against his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, as his most optimistic return date.
The move had been expected, but now it is official under NFL rules: players on Reserve/PUP must sit out their team’s first four games before they can be activated.
Parsons’ absence is a major early test for Green Bay’s defense. He suffered the torn ACL in December after being traded to the Packers from Dallas before the 2025 season, but still managed 12.5 sacks in 14 games and another First-Team All-Pro selection.
Without him, the pressure shifts to the rest of the pass rush, especially Lukas Van Ness, who is set for a much bigger role right away. Green Bay will also need production from its younger defenders while Parsons works back.
For now, the Packers and Parsons have kept the focus on the long game. They have made it clear they do not want to rush the recovery, and Parsons has said the goal is to come back healthy and be ready for the stretch run and playoffs rather than force an early return and risk another injury.
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