Any hope of Micah Parsons returning to the field early in the 2026 season for the Green Bay Packers was put to rest Wednesday by the 3-time All-Pro pass rusher. “It’s about knowing when to go. It’s all about feeling great,” Parsons told reporters. “I don’t think Gutey (GM Brian Gutekuns t), (head athletic trainer) Nate (Weir) or (coach) Matt (LaFleur) wants me to go out there if I’m not at 100-percent, risk re-injury and lose me for the year and it’s just a waste of a year. Everything is about playoffs and winning football games.” Parsons is recovering from a torn ACL suffered Dec. 14 against Denver. He underwent surgery later that month to fix the injury, as well as some cleanup on his meniscus. He passed the five-month mark on May 29 and said he’s got another four months ahead of him before he can even think about getting back on the field. “The goal has always just been not (about) right now, but longevity with my career here,” Parson said. “I think they want that approach. We have a pretty strong nine-month rule. Just through the research and the data, there’s no good outcomes with players coming back early from ACLs, especially if you add in all the other things you get fixed up. So, it’s just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we’re at from there.” The 27-year-old will start the season on the physically unable to perform list, which was always the expectation. Players can come off of that after the first four weeks of the season. There was some hope from fans that it would be Parsons would be available for some marquee games in the month of October, including a matchup with the Chicago Bears and facing his former team, the Dallas Cowboys. “Yeah, those games are important,” Parsons admitted. “Maybe we don’t see Dallas twice, but we see Chicago twice and the games we have in December are even more playoff like. Not just to even look that far ahead, but we’ve got a tough schedule this year. And I think for the betterment of (the team), everyone wants me at 100 (percent) and wants me in those games so we can make this championship run.” When he was on the field last season, Parsons was dominant. Green Bay acquired the former Penn State star for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in late August, and he promptly terrorized quarterback Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions in a Week 1 blowout. He would go on to rack up 12.5 sacks, lead the league in quarterback hurries (22) and finish fourth in pressures (48) despite playing four fewer games than anyone else. Perhaps the most telling stat was the Packers didn’t win another game after he went down against Denver, going from 9-3-1 to 9-7-1 and giving up 25 fourth-quarter points to blow a lead and fall to Chicago in the playoffs. “When one door closes another one opens. And that’s something we have guaranteed,” Parsons said about getting past what happened over the final month of the season. “We have the opportunity this year to all have a chance to stay healthy and push for a playoff run. I accepted (last year’s) fate, but I accepted the future also.” ...read more read less