A grueling ACL recovery timeline could force Packers' edge rusher Micah Parsons to miss the first meeting in the 2026 season against the Chicago Bears.
The one time the Chicago Bears played against Micah Parsons last season, the Green Bay Packers' edge rusher made his presence felt.
Parsons ended with a game-high seven total quarterback pressures in the Packers' 28-21 win at Lambeau Field in Week 14. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound pass rusher didn't sack Caleb Williams, but he showed exactly how difficult he is to block on a consistent basis.
Despite the Bears playing the Packers two more times after that loss, Parsons wasn't available because of his season-ending ACL injury he sustained the following week against the Denver Broncos.
Chicago won both games against the Packers. There's a chance the Packers' star pass rusher could miss the the first game the Bears in the 2026 season.
According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Parsons spoke to reporters in early June and said, "he's just past the five-month mark from his ACL surgery, which he revealed also included a procedure on his meniscus, and that he won't be cleared to be back on the football field -- even for practice -- until the nine-month mark."
With that timeline, the earliest Parsons could potentially return is late Septermber. However, as Demovsky wrote, "the Packers likely would not allow him to play in a game until after several weeks of practice."
The Bears will play the Packers for the first time in the 2026 season on Oct. 11 in Week 5.
Even if Parsons' recovery goes as planned without any hiccups, the Packers are not going to allow their best player on the roster to practice before his body is 100% healed after that significant of an injury.
Terrence Parsons Jr, Micah's borther, went on X on Sunday to reply to people about his brother's recovery timeline. Terrence wrote in a twitter thread, " I don't think he'll be practicing week 3 I honestly don't think he'll hit the practice field till October."
Regardless if Parsons is ready for the Week 5 matchup against the Bears, coach Ben Johnson won't be wasting his time thinking about the Packers' edge rusher. That's not how the Bears' coach operates.
Without Parsons in both games last season, the Bears needed fourth-quarter comebacks to defeat Green Bay.
The Bears understand the Packers are a tough opponent with or without Parsons, so the focus will remain the same with whoever suits up in Packers uniform in the first matchup between the two teams.
