Hopes that Micah Parsons will be ready to play against his former team next week appear to be dashed.
In fact, he doesn’t seem to be ready to even practice yet amid recovery after he suffered a torn ACL last season.
Parsons is out of the four-week window required for anyone on the physically unable to perform list, but he still isn’t ready.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that he thinks Parsons is getting “closer” to being out on the field but that getting the green light “hasn’t happened yet.”
“There’s a lot of testing that goes on before he gets medically cleared to get out there,” LaFleur said, per ESPN. “And then I’m sure we’re gonna want to give him some time to get back to playing football. As you see with most guys that are coming off a major injury, it takes a little bit of time.”
Prior to the season, there had been hope that he would return by the Week 6 showdown with the Cowboys, who traded Parsons to Green Bay before the start of the 2025 season.
General manager Brian Gutekunst had said at the beginning of September that once they cleared the four-week window, he could be close to coming back. LaFleur told reporters on Monday that “we were all hopeful” when asked if anything had changed since Gutekunst’s September comments.
“I mean, he’s a physical specimen, he’s a creature of nature for sure and sometimes you’ve gotta make sure that your body is [in sync],” LaFleur said. “You don’t want one leg to be that much stronger than the other leg is what I’m getting at.”
The star edge rusher has been sidelined since Dec. 14, when he tore his ACL during a 34-26 loss to the Broncos and underwent surgery later that month.
It derailed what had been a strong first season in Green Bay, which saw him record 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 27 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
Parsons had also earned a Pro Bowl nod and a first-team All-Pro selection.
