Micah Parsons reveals his 'most optimistic' return date for Packers

The Green Bay Packers lost Micah Parsons to a torn ACL late in the 2025 NFL season, and they're going to begin the 2026 season without their superstar edge.

Parsons will miss some time, but there's a question about when he'd actually come back from injury. Fortunately, it shouldn't take too long, but when is Parsons actually expected to be back?

Clayton Holloway of NFL Network shared that Parsons, during an interview with Holloway and others, revealed his "most optimistic" return date for the Packers. Parsons could be back as early as Week 6, fittingly, against the Dallas Cowboys.

Micah Parsons reveals 'most optimistic' week he could return from injury

"Packers LB Micah Parsons just sat down on our ITC set with @BadlyNFL and @StaceyDales and tells them the 'most optimistic' return date for him will be Week 6 vs Cowboys (Oct. 18)," Holloway reports.

This is a significant update for a few reasons. For one, hearing from Parsons himself about when he believes he could be back is huge.

But the more interesting part of this reveal from Parsons is that Week 6 is the optimistic return date. This isn't a conservative estimate. Week 6 is the earliest he could return based on this comment from Parsons.

MORE: Packers edge Micah Parsons already predicted to be on cusp of Hall of Fame

Obviously, there's a chance his recovery goes better than expected, and he could be back a week sooner, but with Parsons likely to begin the season on injured reserve, to conserve a roster spot, he'd have to miss the first four weeks of the season.

Parsons coming back for Week 6 would mean he'd miss just five games for the Packers, which wouldn't be too bad in a 17-game season.

But, there is a chance that Parsons is out for a little while longer as well. It's a bit unknown at the moment, but considering Week 6 is Sunday, October 18, there is still over two months to go until Parsons could be back in game action for Green Bay.

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