Micah Parsons expects "All-Pro" moments and "terrible" moments once he's back in games

Published November 5, 2026 09:37 AM Packers defensive end Micah Parsons isn’t willing to pinpoint a date for his return to game action, but it is on everyone’s mind now that he is back on the practice field. Parsons did individual work in his practice return on Wednesday and said that expects to do even more during next week’s workouts. Recent reports have Week 12 circled as the likeliest time for Parsons to make his 2026 debut and he discussed his expectations for that moment with reporters after his first practice session.When asked if it’s realistic for him to play at an All-Pro level right out of the gate, Parsons said that it was but added that he expects to “have terrible plays” as well due to how much rest accumulated during his recovery from last December’s torn ACL. “Am I gonna go out there and play 50, 60 snaps, how I was doing before? Absolutely not. It’s just not realistic,” Parsons said. “My body’s not there yet. I don’t even think my knee is built for that yet. I didn’t go through a training camp. Am I going to be the All-Pro Micah, the person I once was this year? Probably not until later, after I go through all my phases and things like that. . . . I think you’ll see flashes of All-Pro Micah when I get to pass rush, and there’s going to be times when you’re going to be like, ‘Dang, what was Micah doing?’ There’s going to be times when I question myself, too. Like, what was I doing right there? I’m not ashamed of that. I’m not scared of seeing the failure of this thing because I just came back from 11-month injury. I’m not shying away from the possibility of bad plays.”It’s an honest appraisal of what the return from a long layoff is likely to look like, but a big play or two from Parsons can help swing a game and the Packers would gladly sign up for that while waiting for the total package to come back together.