Former standout Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons will be unavailable to the Green Bay Packers until at least mid-October, he said in a post-practice press conference on Wednesday.

Parsons suffered an ACL tear in the third quarter of the Packers’ Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos a little over five months ago. The linebacker said the Packers have a strict nine-month rule for ACLs.

“Through the research and the data, there’s no good outcomes with players coming back early from an ACL, especially if you had other things that had to get fixed up,” Parsons told ESPN. “It’s just all about completing the rehab to the best of our ability and then seeing where we’re at from there.”

Under that rule, and if he is added to the PUP list, Parsons is eligible to practice with the team leading up to the Week 5 game against the Chicago Bears. Players on the PUP list have up to 3 weeks to practice before they must be added to the team’s roster.

If healthy, Parsons could suit up for the first time against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 on October 18.

Parsons was traded to Green Bay from the Dallas Cowboys just before the start of the 2025 season in a blockbuster deal that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Before the injury, he was on pace to break his own single-season sack record with 12.5 through 13 games. His career high is 14 in 2023.

“The goal for me is to complete the season, not no relapse, and playoffs and pushing towards a championship,” Parsons said. “The goal isn’t for me to go out there and rehurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games. The goal has always been [to be available for the] playoffs, and I think we’re all on the same page.”

The former Cowboy played for Penn State for two seasons, recording 192 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles in 2018 and 2019.

The Cowboys selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.