Micah Parsons has spent the start of the Green Bay Packers training camp focused on one objective: getting back on the field. The five-time Pro Bowler remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he continues recovering from the torn ACL and meniscus injury that ended his first season in Green Bay in December.
Parsons has been working behind the scenes, though he has not yet been cleared for football activities. While the Packers have not provided a return timeline for their star edge, he is expected to miss the first few weeks of the 2026 NFL season.
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Parsons, however, has a specific date in mind.
Speaking to reporters, Parsons said it is “very realistic” that he could return in Week 6, when the Packers host his former team, the Dallas Cowboys.
“Is it possible? Yes, so I wouldn’t say it’s not possible. At the same time, in the next 10, 12 weeks from now, we’ve got to make it possible by putting the work in” (h/t Ryan Wood of USA Today).
The matchup would mark Parsons’ second game against Dallas since the Cowboys traded him to Green Bay before the 2025 season. Before suffering his knee injury in December, he recorded 12.5 sacks, earned First-Team All-Pro honors and remains one of the Packers’ defensive leaders.
Parsons is entering the first season of the four-year, $186 million extension he signed after arriving in Green Bay. He is expected to continue progressing through training camp as the Packers open the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers (Aug. 13), followed by games against the Denver Broncos (Aug. 21) and Arizona Cardinals (Aug. 28).
Green Bay opens the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Minnesota Vikings, while Parsons’ targeted return against Dallas would come in Week 6 on “Sunday Night Football” at Lambeau Field.
