Let me say this at the top: The Chicago Bears trading for Dallas Cowboys star pass-rusher Micah Parsons is ludicrous. However, I like ludicrous. I’m a simple man at my core. But I am also someone who dreams big and encourages those around him to do the same. And as part of our writer-reader relationship, I’ve made it clear from Day 1 that I will never stop you, dear reader, from dreaming the biggest dreams when it comes to your favorite team acquiring a star-caliber player.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can address the elephant in the room:
Hey, man. If Caleb Williams retweets it in a way that hints that he likes the idea, then we’re certainly going to be open to hearing it out:
Caleb Williams has since un-posted his retweet of a post from a Twitter user saying that the Cowboys couldn’t likely afford to keep Micah Parsons after handing out a big-money extension to CeeDee Lamb (a possible extension for quarterback Dak Prescott isn’t something we should rule out either). But screenshots live forever. And now, the idea of QB1 not-so-subtly hinting that he’d be on board with another Bears splash acquisition lives free in my head.
Is Micah Parsons even available via trade?
Even though the Cowboys haven’t put out any inklings that Micah Parsons is on the trade block, it seems as if his future in Dallas is in doubt. Parsons, 25, is under contract with the Cowboys for the next two seasons and doesn’t become a free agent until 2026. An extension isn’t top of mind for Parsons right now, reports ESPN’s Todd Archer. But that time will come. And if the Cowboys don’t believe they can swing big-time extensions for Lamb, Prescott, and Parsons, then I can see a scenario in which Dallas puts its stud pass rusher on the trade block. Should that happen, the Bears should be the first ones reaching out to Jerry Jones.
Given the Bears’ needs at pass rusher and the team’s available cap space, connecting Chicago’s football team as a potential Parsons suitor makes sense. General Manager Ryan Poles tried (and failed) at cutting a deal for Matthew Judon before he was sent from the New England Patriots to the Atlanta Falcons. Had the Pats and Bears agreed on a deal, a Judon extension would’ve cut into the $19,280,217 in cap space the team has at its disposal now. Looking ahead, the Bears project to have the seventh-most cap space in 2025 ($44.312M) and 10th-most in 2026 ($119.294M).
With that in mind, it seems like a good time to point out that it’s not as if the Cowboys are lacking for space under the cap in the future. Dallas has $29.669 million in cap wiggle room (projected 12th most) in 2025 and seventh-most ($154.672M) in 2026. In other words, Dallas *SHOULD* be able to fit CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and Micah Parsons extensions into its future plans with some creative bookkeeping. But stranger things have happened in the NFL. And I can’t discount the idea that the Cowboys might rather use their cap space elsewhere. If that’s how the cookie crumbles, then the Bears should be blowing up the phone lines at JerryWorld.
Micah Parsons makes a lot of sense as a Bears target, but…
How could the Bears go about making a Micah Parsons trade? Well, I imagine conversations would begin with the Khalil Mack deal as a baseline. Two first-round picks (2019, 2020), a third-round pick (2020), and a sixth-rounder (2019) feels like a sensible starting point. You don’t have to crunch your brain too much to imagine the Bears dangling the Carolina Panthers second-round pick in hypothetical trade discussions. But Parsons is the kind of defensive game-changer who could shift the power in the NFC North. Hence, acquiring him figures to cost multiple first-round picks … and then some.
All that before we even get to thinking about the cost of an extension is pretty wild. But we can cross that bridge if and when we get to it.
It should go without saying, but I love the idea of the Bears going after Micah Parsons. And if you’re reading this, there is a good chance you feel the same way.
Micah Parsons checks many boxes, fits an obvious need, and could elevate Chicago’s defense to new heights. Acquiring a player like Parsons at this stage of the summer is a bold and aggressive move that I would applaud a general manager for pulling off — just as we did when Ryan Pace swung the Khalil Mack deal. Trading for Mack opened up the Bears’ competitive window while having a first-round rookie quarterback on a cost-controlled deal. Those Bears had back-to-back-to-back not-losing seasons and made the playoffs in two of those three years. Now, imagine how things would have looked had Pace made the right choice at quarterback in 2017.
I don’t want to go down the revisionist history rabbit hole, but I want to point out that your team can do so much if it gets the quarterback right. These Bears come off sounding like a franchise that feels it finally made the right choice at quarterback. If that is the case, then the time to strike is now.