The Green Bay Packers officially placed All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons on the reserve/physically unable to perform list Sunday, ruling the star defender out for the first four games of the 2026 season.
The transaction confirmed what the organization had signaled for months as Parsons continues recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee.
Parsons suffered the injury Dec. 14, 2025, in a loss at Denver and underwent surgery Dec. 29 that included a meniscus cleanup. The Packers enforce a nine-month restriction on football activity after such reconstructions, making a mid-October return the realistic target.
Green Bay opens Sept. 13 at Minnesota, then visits the New York Jets, hosts Atlanta on Thursday night Sept. 24 and travels to Tampa Bay on Oct. 4.
Parsons becomes eligible to practice after Week 4 and could play as soon as the Oct. 11 home game against Chicago or the Oct. 18 Sunday night matchup against his former Dallas Cowboys team.
The 27-year-old Penn State product has been one of the league’s most consistent disruptors since the Cowboys drafted him 12th overall in 2021. In 77 career games he has recorded 65 sacks, 297 tackles, 11 forced fumbles and 10 pass deflections.
Parsons is the first player since Hall of Famer Reggie White to post at least 12 sacks in each of his first five NFL seasons.
After Green Bay acquired him Aug. 28, 2025, in a trade that sent defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 to Dallas, Parsons delivered 12.5 sacks, 41 tackles and two forced fumbles in 14 games. He earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third time, made his fifth straight Pro Bowl and ranked No. 8 on the NFL Top 100 Players list — his highest placement.
The Packers immediately signed him to a four-year extension worth roughly $186 million with $136 million guaranteed.
Without Parsons after Week 15 last season, Green Bay dropped its final five games, including a wild-card playoff loss.
Coach Matt LaFleur and Parsons have both stressed patience, with the player saying he wants to return only when he feels like himself again rather than rush back for a specific date.
The defense will lean on Lukas Van Ness and other edge players until one of the NFL’s most productive pass rushers is cleared.
