The Green Bay Packers are expected to get their star edge rusher back by Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic warned that while Parsons is expected to return to game action by then, even he does not expect him to be his old self quite yet.
“He said publicly on his podcast and to us that this is really about the long run, not about right now,” said Schneidman on The Athletic Live. “It’s about the playoff push this year, and then the next couple of years on this contract.”
Schneidman added that he thought it would be unrealistic for the expectation to be that Parsons hits the ground running.
“He’s only, what, 27 years old now, so I think it’s unrealistic to expect him to be thrown right back in there and be the regular Parsons,” added Schneidman. “He’s not going to be playing a full, full dose of snaps.”
The Packers beat reporter added that even Parsons admitted that the plan is to play fewer than 50 snaps in his first game back.
Green Bay Packers Have To Temper Micah Parsons’ Expectations
Still, it is worth adding that Parsons is an All-Pro and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate when he is at full go. So, even a lesser version of him is going to help the Packers’ defense.
“When I asked Jonathan Gannon how much, since he took this job, he has envisioned or game-planned for when Micah gets back, he said every day,” exclaimed Schneidman. “So they’re going to have some special situations for him, I bet. And look, even if he’s not full Micah Parsons, 80%, 75% Parsons is better than nothing with how talented he is.”
It is clear the Packers are highly optimistic about what he can bring. However, sitting at 6-3 they want to make sure that he is at his All-Pro level by the playoffs. Week 12 is about getting the rust off and using him in specific situations.
Packers Are Being Cautious With Parsons
Schneidman also explained why Parsons did not return as soon as expected. He is coming back 12 weeks after Patrick Mahomes, who got hurt on the same day.
“A lot of people point out the fact that he tore his ACL on the same day Patrick Mahomes did, December 14, 2025,” admitted Schneidman. “Micah also tore his meniscus, and he had two separate meniscus procedures on top of an ACL repair.”
So, Parsons had a longer road to recovery. He also relies on his explosiveness much more than Mahomes. So, the team was being extra cautious; he did not have any setbacks. They will remain cautious even when Parsons takes the field. Parsons is entering his second week of practicing. However, the team does not expect him to play Week 10 against the New England Patriots. With a bye week in Week 11, his return should be Week 12.
Packers Get Tough Reality Check With Micah Parsons