Parsons trade puts pressure on Packers' Super Bowl run
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles took time to reiterate his thought process from the offseason after making final cuts last Tuesday.
If there’s a player the Bears believe can upgrade the roster, the team will always make sure they at least inquire.
"We will always call and see what the situation is," Poles said. "Then, (we) weigh that against our short-term and long-term decision-making process."
Two days after Poles said these words, star edge rusher Micah Parsons was traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Bears’ arch-rival Green Bay Packers. Then, the Pack agreed to terms with Parsons on a contract that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
Now, the Packers are officially Super Bowl contenders. Should the Bears, who have executed a trade like this before, have stepped in front of the Packers to acquire Parsons? There’s no doubt Parsons would have made the Bears better.
But, it's fair to wonder if it would have been worth the cost considering where the Bears are.
The backstory:
After a lengthy standoff, the Cowboys finally dealt Parsons. Dallas’ primary owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he could have signed Parsons in April, but instead, the two parties grew further and further apart until the animosity grew too large.
Green Bay inked Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed. In return for Parsons, the Cowboys received two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, which is a lesser return than what the Bears sent to the Raiders when Khalil Mack became a Bear.
He now changes the perception of the Pack from NFC North contenders to Super Bowl contenders.
"I just want to do whatever I can to help the Packers win a championship," Parsons said, according to The Associated Press on Friday.
That’s something the Bears could have used, both Parsons’ mentality and his play. But, the Bears would have had to give up a lot to make this work.
Big picture view:
The Bears were here before. They took a mountain of draft capital and sent it to the Raiders for Khalil Mack in a move that helped first-year head coach Matt Nagy win the NFC North with a second-year quarterback in Mitch Trubisky.
That move worked, until it didn’t. The Bears never won the NFC North again and only made the playoffs once more.
Trading for Parsons would have lifted the Bears, no question. But this is a different situation for Parsons in 2025 compared to Mack in 2018.
For starters, the Bears only have $580,210 in available salary cap space, according to Spotrac. That’s a far cry from what the Bears would have needed to get Parsons his high number of guaranteed money.
This isn’t to say Parsons isn’t a top-tier pass rusher. Parsons, who has 52 ½ career sacks through his first four NFL seasons, is one of two players to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He would have been effective in Chicago.
But, another reason why Mack was immediately wrecking games was because the Bears already had a good defense in 2018. Then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spent three seasons building the Bears’ defense from the ground up and knew how to fit Mack into the puzzle. The present-day Bears have only had eight months with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevethan and Adrian Amos had established roles in Fangio’s defense. Jaquan Brisker, Jaylon Johnson, Gervon Dexter Sr., Montez Sweat, TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds have yet to play a snap in Allen’s defense.
Finally, the Bears aren’t the Packers.
Green Bay won 11 games last year. The Bears won five. The Bears have left tackle issues, too.
Mortgaging two first-round picks and a player is a steep price for a Bears team that isn’t expected to contend this year. The Bears already have $40.5 million tied up between two edge rushers, too: $24.5 million for Montez Sweat and $16 million for Dayo Odeyingbo. This doesn’t include the contract the Bears gave Grady Jarrett.
Poles and the Bears have to make do with what they have, and the front office came away from training camp impressed.
"I think this was the best training camp Montez Sweat has had, he's in really good shape, ready to go," Poles said. "I think Dexter is ready to make a move. Then, when you put those guys together with Grady, who's been a great addition, not only on the field, but his leadership, that whole group is really lifted in terms of their play and their mentality. Then, with Dennis, I'm sure there are things that we haven't even seen yet in terms of him helping, enhancing and creating confusion to get to the quarterback."
The Bears are going to be a better team in 2025 than in 2024. But, adding Parsons wouldn’t have pushed the Bears into a high enough tier in the NFC to justify parting with pieces that could help solve their left tackle issue and the future of other positions. If this were a year or two into Ben Johnson's tenure, then it's a different conversation.
For now, the road to win the NFC North just got much harder for the Bears.
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