- May 21, 2026
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Micah Parsons called Week 6 a realistic date for him to return from last season's torn ACL over the summer, but the Packers defensive end won't be back on the field ahead of Sunday night's game against the Cowboys.
While there was added resonance for many because Parsons used to play for Dallas, he said on this week's episode of his The Edge podcast that made "the game bigger than what it was." He said it is "just another game" to him and that his focus is solely on getting back to feeling totally healthy even if he feels like he would be ready to go if this was the final game of the season.
"The biggest thing that people worried about with me, they're like, 'Man, why ain't he back yet?’ If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl," Parsons said. "But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first. What a lot of people don't figure out is, it's not just the ACL. It's like, why did the ACL happen? What was weak? Because it all works together. It's a chain. And throughout the history of ACL, they notice if you come back early, there tends to be an overcompensation injury on the other side. Or it could be on the same side. . . . We just gonna make sure everything is right before — It's like, what's the point of getting me back for four weeks and then next thing you know, my groin’s bothering me. I have a core muscle, now I’m missing.”
The Packers have a road game in Detroit in Week 7 and a quick turnaround to a Thursday night home game against the Panthers in Week 8. That closes out their October games and that could point to a Parsons return for the second half of the regular season.
While there was added resonance for many because Parsons used to play for Dallas, he said on this week's episode of his The Edge podcast that made "the game bigger than what it was." He said it is "just another game" to him and that his focus is solely on getting back to feeling totally healthy even if he feels like he would be ready to go if this was the final game of the season.
"The biggest thing that people worried about with me, they're like, 'Man, why ain't he back yet?’ If the Super Bowl was this week, I'm playing in the Super Bowl," Parsons said. "But it's just about me making sure I have all the small things fixed first. What a lot of people don't figure out is, it's not just the ACL. It's like, why did the ACL happen? What was weak? Because it all works together. It's a chain. And throughout the history of ACL, they notice if you come back early, there tends to be an overcompensation injury on the other side. Or it could be on the same side. . . . We just gonna make sure everything is right before — It's like, what's the point of getting me back for four weeks and then next thing you know, my groin’s bothering me. I have a core muscle, now I’m missing.”
The Packers have a road game in Detroit in Week 7 and a quick turnaround to a Thursday night home game against the Panthers in Week 8. That closes out their October games and that could point to a Parsons return for the second half of the regular season.