The Chicago Bears won’t be able to spend their oodles of salary cap space on offensive guard Trey Smith after the Kansas City Chiefs slapped the franchise tag on him last week, so the bulk of the money will now probably to go toward the defensive line.
The two best edge rushers likely to come available in free agency are Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat. But the Bears and Mack already had one go around, and he will play next season at 34 years old, which makes a reunion unlikely. Sweat is in his late 20s and has a solid track record of pressuring opposing QBs, but he’s recorded double-digit sacks just once in his career and is looking for a monster contract this offseason.
Adding an elite pass rusher is probably the Bears’ No. 2 priority behind bulking up the interior of the offensive line in front of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. And if value is the goal and money isn’t particularly an object, then big-time trade offers for two players make sense: Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
Garrett has already asked for a trade out of Cleveland and quickly shut down talk of any extension this offseason with two years remaining on his deal. Parsons is heading into his fifth NFL season, which pays him $24 million on a team option that Dallas picked up ahead of the 2023 campaign.
The question is whether the Cowboys are willing to extend Parsons long-term, particularly after breaking the bank on quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb last offseason. Spotrac estimates Parsons’ market value at nearly $135 million over a new-four year contract, which may be unfeasible — or at least unpalatable — for Dallas.
Bears Can Build Around Parsons, While Cowboys Can Build Out Already Expensive Roster With Draft Picks
GettyPass rusher Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys have been trying fruitlessly for 30 years to re-attain their Super Bowl glory of the mid-1990s, and dealing a player like Parsons on the cusp of his prime after four consecutive Pro Bowl selections isn’t typically the way to reach the height of NFL success.
That said, a financially over-extended team like Dallas could make a savvy move by dealing Parsons at peak value now. And that wouldn’t necessarily mean a bad deal on the Bears’ side of the equation, either.
Chicago has a stockpile of draft picks, including the Nos. 10, 39 and 41 selections this year. In our hypothetical trade, the Bears send Dallas the No. 10 pick in 2025 and a first-rounder in 2026, as well as swap the No. 41 pick for the Cowboys’ No. 76 selection this April.
Adding Micah Parsons for 2 First-Round Picks Still Allows Bears to Improve Offensive Line in 2025 NFL Draft
GettyDefensive end Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears.
In that scenario, the Bears come out with Parsons and his 52.5 career sacks to pair alongside Montez Sweat. Chicago extends the star edge rusher ahead of his age-26 season and locks in arguably the league’s best defender for the next half decade.
The Bears would still hold the 39th pick, where the team can select one of the top offensive guards in the 2025 class. They then have two picks early in Round 3 (Nos. 72 and 76) to add another interior offensive lineman.
Meanwhile, Dallas gets out from under the expectations of paying its top few players so much money that building a real winner becomes next to impossible due to financial deficiencies. The Cowboys would also own the Nos. 10 and 12 selections this year, as well as two first-rounders in 2026 to build out the roster with inexpensive rookie talent.
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