March 31, 2026, 4:32 p.m. CT
The Green Bay Packers have remained steadfast in their desire to protect All-Pro Micah Parsons as he attempts to return from ACL surgery, and general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team has no target date in mind with the regular season still five months away, but the NFL did modify a rule that could affect Parsons’ return to the field timeline in 2026.
At the league’s annual meeting, the Competition Committee approved this bylaw change notable to Parsons and the Packers: “to permit players on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform to begin a 21-day practice period after the club’s second game of the regular season.”
The previous bylaw stated any player beginning the regular season on the reserve/PUP list had to miss at least the first four games before he was eligible to open the practice period and return to the playing field. The modified bylaw cuts this time period in half, allowing a player to return after missing the first two games.
Parsons, who tore his ACL on Dec. 14 and had surgery to reconstruct the ligament in late December, will likely need to miss time early in the 2026 season. If he misses training camp and starts the regular season on the PUP list, the Packers could, under the new bylaw, return him to the practice field to start Week 3 — potentially improving his chances of playing during the season’s first month.
In theory, the Packers could start Parsons on the PUP list, have him miss the first two weeks and then begin his ramp up period in Week 3.
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Last year, Parsons played for the Packers in Week 1 despite missing all of training camp with the Dallas Cowboys. He was eased back into action while working through a back injury.
The Packers have several other players returning from major injuries, including tight end Tucker Kraft, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and right tackle Zach Tom, although those three are likely to be available at some point during training camp.