Micah Parsons or Terry McLaurin to Chicago? Why the Bears should think big |
Dustin Riese
· · 3 hours ago
At long last, the NFL is finally back as the Hall of Fame game took place last Thursday. That is the unofficial start to the 2025 NFL season, as that goes in the books as the first preseason game of the year. Now, the rest of the preseason can follow as meaningful NFL games are right around the corner.
When it comes to the Bears, they haven't been in the spotlight per se since Training Camp has gotten underway, but there has been plenty of news coming from Training Camp. A lot of the news stems from Ben Johnson and the way he is holding players accountable for mistakes during practice. It's that level of accountability that has been lacking from this organization, so to see it being implemented so early is a breath of fresh air. However, the biggest news of the offseason thus far comes from the NFC East as a pair of All-Pro level players are not only in a contract dispute, but have officially requested a trade from their organization in Terry McLaurin and Micha Parsons. Neither of these players is going to be traded anytime soon, but to see their relationships damaged to the point of no return, it does make you wonder how long either of them will remain with their current teams. Should trades be granted at some point this season, not only will they be in high demand, but the packages to get them are going to cost someone a pretty penny. Typically, a team in the Bears' position would be foolish to go after such highly prized players that could cost the Bears tons of assets, but if there is a team that could pull this off, given their assets, it would be the Bears. For the sake of this column, let's pretend the Bears are not only looking to make trades, but also looking at adding either one of these players, and what would a package look like to get one of these guys. Terry McLaurin: Similar to Mike Evans, just not at his level yet, McLaurin has been one of the more underappreciated wide receivers in the game despite putting up impressive numbers year in and year out. The 29-year-old former Ohio State Buckeyes wideout was a first-round pick by the Commanders in 2019 and has been with Washington his entire career. During his six seasons with the Commanders, he has had five consecutive 1000-yard seasons and has amassed 6379 yards and 38 touchdowns thus far. His best season came in 2022 when he had 1191 yards to go with five touchdowns as he has been the go-to pass-catching wide receiver for Washington since joining the league. McLaurin is one of those guys who will never jump off the page, but the production speaks for itself as he continues to produce no matter who the quarterback is. What makes his production all the more impressive is watching him do that without many secondary receiver options, as he is going to get the ball more often than not, and yet the defense still can't stop it completely. Coming to a team like the Bears, McLaurin would still be the top option, but with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze lining up with him, there is no way you could double-team either one of them. That alone opens the passing game for Caleb Williams and could make McLaurin an even bigger threat than he already is. Micah Parsons: Parsons, on the other hand, is an even bigger name and from all accounts one of the best defensive players in the game. Taken in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021, Parsons has been a force on the football field since day one and has continued to wreak havoc on the opposing quarterback. He is coming off a season that saw him lead the Cowboys with 12 sacks and now has 52.5 sacks across his career. The 12 sacks were a career low, and that alone is hard to believe. Hearing Parsons' name as a player who wants to be traded, you can expect nearly every team in the league to line up to get him, as he is a difference maker on defense. The Bears should be one of the teams lining up to make a run at him as he would bring similar vibes to when the Bears traded for Khalil Mack, but with more excitement. Pairing Parsons with Montez Sweat would not only bring out a version of Parsons we have never seen, but you could see a situation where Sweat has a career high in sacks, knowing how much attention Parsons gets. That alone would make the Bears' defense better and potentially the top defense in the game. As mentioned, neither of these trades is close to happening as they have only asked to be traded. At some point, the talks are going to be real, and the Bears have the ammo to get involved. Looking at history, most recently the receivers that have been traded the past two years, and one thing to note is that teams typically don't get the return you might expect them to get. Sure, it often takes three picks to get a deal done, but don't expect a first-round pick to be offered for McLaurin. Parsons, on the other hand, is going to be the one that brings home the biggest haul, as you are looking at upwards of five draft picks and potentially one, if not two, first-round picks. That is a steep offer to make for a guy who may leave after one season, but given his ability on the field, it could be worth the risk. Either way, the Bears have the ammo to get something done, and should be players for either of these guys should they actually get to the point where trade discussions are happening. You want to build a winner, you want a culture change, these players would provide that for Chicago, not only this season, but for years to come.
