Will The Bears Party Like It’s 2018 and Make a Trade for Micah Parsons?

Seven years ago at this time, the Chicago Bears were in an awfully similar position as they are right now. Consider, with a second-year quarterback and a new head coach in the picture, the Bears are entering the season following a five-win campaign. There’s cautious optimism in the Windy City, great vibes at training camp, and suddenly, a top-tier edge rusher available for the highest bidder who can turn a feel-good team into a bonafide playoff contender.

Presently, that player is Dallas Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons, who decided to request a trade on August 1 after weeks of failed contract negotiations with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office. Seven years ago, that player was Khalil Mack, a dynamic and dominant pass-rusher who like Parsons, spent the majority of the offseason holding out and lobbying for a new deal with his present team.

Recognizing the opportunity to swoop in and steal a Hall of Fame talent, the Bears moved on Khalil Mack, sending a pair of 1st round picks, one 3rd round pick and one 6th round pick to the Raiders for Mack and a future 2nd round pick just days before the 2018 season began. It didn’t take long for Mack to make his impact felt. Within a quarter of the season-opener against the Green Bay Packers, Mack had officially earned the right to be called a Monster of the Midway.

Now that we’ve worked our way through the prologue, what does all of this mean about a possible pursuit of Micah Parsons?

Well, let’s start here: for as accomplished as Khalil Mack was when the Bears traded for him in September 2018, it’s not hard to make the case that Micah Parsons has done even more in his first four seasons than Mack did in his. Take a look…

Khalil Mack, first four NFL seasons: 64 games, 304 tackles, 68 tackles for loss, 40.5 sacks, 84 QB hits, 9 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, three-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro, one-time Defensive Player of the Year

Micah Parsons, first four NFL seasons: 63 games, 256 tackles, 63 tackles for loss, 52.5 sacks, 112 QB hits, 9 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, four-time Pro Bowl, three-time All-Pro, one-time Defensive Rookie of the Year


What Would It Take To Trade For Micah Parsons?

First and foremost, it would take a considerable amount of courage from Bears general manager Ryan Poles. It would also take an honest evaluation of where this team is at. Are the Bears, as presently constructed, one piece away from contention? And if so, is that one missing piece a player like Micah Parsons?

It’s no secret that the Bears, just as they were in 2018 pre-Mack trade, are light on edge rushers. If there is a position of need on this roster, then Parsons does indeed fill it. But is it the right time to trade for Parsons, and then just as they did with Mack, immediately make him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL?

The Bears have plenty of mouths to feed in the upcoming years, especially if many of their young players hit big. We know that Caleb Williams, is just a few years away from inking a deal that will make him one of the highest paid players in all of football. But what about guys like Rome Odunze, or Darnell Wright, or Jaquan Brisker, or Colston Loveland? Does trading for and immediately extending Micah Parsons relegate these home-grown players to the back-burner?

Then there’s the Dallas side of things. Right now, the Cowboys are playing hard ball and Parsons seems hell-bent on forcing his way out of the Lone Star State. But we’ve seen testy contract negotiations go off the rails before, and then end up being resolved before any games are lost. It’s possible that Parsons and the Cowboys will come to an agreement within days. And if not, there’s still over a month before their first game of the season on opening night.

As far as a price tag goes, the Bears would likely have to pony up a considerable number of future 1st round picks to acquire Parsons. In fact, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell even went as far as calling the 2018 trade for Khalil Mack as the closest comparison for what Dallas could rightfully expect to get back for Parsons.

But if this young Bears roster is already set up to win in the future, which many believe it is, doesn’t that mean that going all in for Parsons right now and losing a few valuable future draft picks in the process would be worth it? He’s only 26 years old, so conceivably, he works quite well on the timeline that Chicago has already established. It’s possible he hasn’t even reached his prime yet.

In the end, I won’t be holding my breath that the Bears will end up making Jerry Jones an offer he can’t refuse. But if there’s any team in the league with the incentive of going for it, it’s Chicago. And boy oh boy, Micah Parsons would look damn good in Navy Blue and Orange, don’t ya think?

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