Matt LaFleur on Micah Parsons' potential return to practice: 'I sure hope so'

Green Bay Packers superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons has not played football since an ACL tear he suffered on Dec. 14, 2025.

Early in the offseason, there was speculation that Parsons could make a return by Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season...at the latest.

Parsons was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list to start the year, so he had to sit out the first four games of the season. That was always baked into the cake, though.

The Packers generally like nine months of rehab before a player resumes football activities after a torn ACL, so Sept. 15 seemed like a good time to bring him back into practice. Oct. 11, for a massive divisional contest against the Chicago Bears, was the optimistic return date in the mind of many fans and analysts. If not then, the Week 6 "Sunday Night Football" contest against the Dallas Cowboys was a popular choice...because of the implications of that game against his former team.

Parsons himself had circled that date for a realistic return. Yet, here we are entering Week 8 of the season, and the Packers are preparing for the Carolina Panthers on "Thursday Night Football."

They won't bring him back on a short week, but we're not even talking about getting him back for a game yet. Right now, the goal is just getting him into practice. To that point, head coach Matt LaFleur seems to think Week 9 could see Parsons back on the practice field.

"I sure hope so," he said when asked whether Parsons will return to practice next week.

ESPN and NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport seemed to tee it up that Parsons will return to practice in Week 9 as long as there are no setbacks.