Packers HC Matt LaFleur shares coy Micah Parsons injury return update

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Packers HC Matt LaFleur shares coy Micah Parsons injury return update

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 18, 2026 10:17 AM ET

The Green Bay Packers will have to get by without their best player for at least one month.

Micah Parsons tore his ACL in Week 15 of the 2025 season, and he's made it loud and clear that he won't rush his way back to the field— he'll only play when he's 100 percent ready.

Parsons set a Week 6 return as an optimistic date, knowing he'd face his former Dallas Cowboys teammates if that's the case.

However, head coach Matt LaFleur's latest update only adds more questions to his current status.

Micah Parsons' injury return date remains uncertain

"I haven't even asked about that. Probably a couple weeks," the Packers head coach said about when Parsons could return to practice, per Jason B. Hirschhorn.

Packers HC Matt LaFleur on when Micah Parsons could begin practicing:

"I haven't even asked about that. Probably a couple weeks."
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) September 17, 2026

While this wouldn't be a talking point last season, the new PUP rules make it something to keep an eye on.

Under the new regulations, players placed on reserve/PUP can open their 21-day practice window after the team's second regular-season game. That means Parsons could start training as early as Monday, Sept. 21.

If Parsons still needs "probably a couple weeks," he might be closer to the previous approach, which forced players to wait four regular-season games before opening the 21-day practice window.

Of course, this could just be a case of a coach being coy and not giving the opposition much to work with.

But with Parsons and the Packers both looking to err on the side of caution with this situation — and rightly so — maybe a Week 6 return is, in fact, a bit too optimistic for the superstar pass-rusher.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

More must-reads: