The Green Bay Packers have patiently played a waiting game with the health of Micah Parsons that has finally come to an end.
Head coach Matt LaFleur said defnitively on Monday, November 2 that the team’s superstar pass-rusher will return to work ahead of Green Bay’s game against the New England Patriots in Week 9.
“Matt LaFleur says anticipation is Micah Parsons will begin practicing this week,” Ryan Wood of USA Today reported on X.
The team’s first full practice during what will be a normally scheduled week will come on Wednesday, which is when Parsons should make his debut.
He has been out since December of 2025 with an ACL tear and a meniscus injury that required a full repair, subsequently extending his absence longer than some in the media initially expected.
Micah Parsons Probably Won’t Play in Game Until Thanksgiving
While Parsons will get back on the practice field this week, he probably will not play in a game until nearer to the end of the month.
Multiple reports last week indicated that the Packers and Parsons are shooting for his 2026 debut to arrive against the Los Angeles Rams on Thanksgiving Day.
“For instance, the plan for next week is for Parsons to participate in individual drills during practice,” Ian Rapoport of ESPN and NFL Network wrote on October 31. “The following week, if all goes well, he will be in team drills. Then there is Green Bay’s bye in Week 11, followed by the abbreviated week of preparation for the Thanksgiving Eve night game.”
Micah Parsons’ Should Add Juice to Already Solid Packers’ Pass Rush
Green Bay is 5-3 through eight games without Parsons, and the defense is trending in a strong direction.
The Packers’ pass rush mustered nine quarterback hits and six sacks last week, hounding Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young throughout the teams’ primetime “Thursday Night Football” showcase.
Parsons should supercharge those efforts upon his return, as the five-time Pro Bowler has tallied 65 career sacks in 77 games played. Green Bay traded two first-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys in return for Parsons last August, who finished the campaign as a first-team All-Pro despite missing the final three games of the year because of his knee injury.
Packers Make Final Call on Micah Parsons’ Return Date