Bears Among Favorites for Khalil Mack-Style Blockbuster Trade

The Chicago Bears are heading into a pivotal NFL offseason in which they will need to hire a new head coach and keep building around rookie quarterback Caleb Williams for the 2025 season. Could part of their next phase include a Khalil Mack-style blockbuster trade for three-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons?

According to the latest official odds from Bovada Sportsbook, the Bears are among the betting favorites to make a trade for Parsons — the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year — if he does not return to play for the Dallas Cowboys during the 2025 season.

The Bears are getting the fourth-best betting odds (+650) to acquire Parsons behind the Detroit Lions (+450), Kansas City Chiefs (+500) and Pittsburgh Steelers (+600). The odds still favor Parsons to take his first snap of next season with the Cowboys (-220), but recent rumblings in Dallas suggest the team is open to moving their superstar.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys are planning to “re-evaluate things” within the organization during the 2025 offseason and have not ruled out the possibility of trading Parsons with contract talks between the two sides on the horizon.

The Cowboys picked up Parsons’ $21.3 million fifth-year option for the 2025 season last spring, but Parsons — one of the best young defenders in the NFL — has said he wants to have a long-term contract extension on the books before March’s start to free agency. If the two sides struggle to reach common ground over the next few months, the team could cut its losses and look to deal away Parsons to the highest bidder in a trade.

As wild as it might sound, is it really any wilder than the Bears trading for Mack?

Bears Have Picks & Cap Space to Trade for Micah Parsons

In terms of feasibility, the Bears could afford to trade for Parsons — if they wanted him.

While the Bears have problems they need to solve on their offensive line, they are also in desperate need of more formidable pass rushers for their defensive line and would land a home-run hitter in Parsons if they traded for him. Barring Week 18’s results, they will have three picks in the top 40 of the 2025 draft to offer to the Cowboys in a deal and have ample cap space — a projected $82 million — to sign Parsons to a long-term contract extension worth somewhere between $30 million to $40 million annually.

The bigger question is whether the Bears want to commit significant cap figures to two defensive ends when they have several other areas of their roster in need of investment. They signed Montez Sweat to a four-year, $98 million contract extension last November that runs through the 2027 season. Even if the Bears feel Sweat hasn’t lived up to his superstar potential (5.5 sacks in 2024), they would need to find a trade partner to have any realistic shot at dumping him — and they are highly unlikely to want to do that.

Of course, the Bears could still find room for Parsons’ projected contract without having to get rid of Sweat. They would need to sacrifice spending power at other positions, but they have the advantage of having Williams signed to his affordable rookie contract for the next three seasons along with one of his expected top pass-catchers, Rome Odunze.

Is it the right move, though? That’s tough to say until they start patching other holes.

How Much Can Bears Sacrifice for Micah Parsons Trade?

There is no doubt a trade for Parsons would elevate the Bears defense, but any potential trade conversations the team might have with the Cowboys would need to circle back to a singular question: How much can the Bears afford to sacrifice to acquire Parsons?

To a certain point, the Bears can justify giving up a lot. They could trade two of their top three picks in 2025 and more future assets without batting an eye if they feel confident they could work out the financial logistics of a sign-and-trade with Parsons. If trading for Parsons would keep them from adequately addressing their offensive line or other holes in their roster, though, the Bears should reject the possibility wholeheartedly.

Don’t forget the Bears will have opportunities to add another starter-quality pass rusher to their roster during the 2025 NFL offseason. If they do not find an ideal fit for them on the free agent market, they will have several promising options from which to choose with their top three draft selections — currently penciled in as Nos. 9, 37 and 40.

Guys like Penn State’s Abdul Carter, Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton and Georgia’s Mykel Williams could all potentially appeal to them in the first round at No. 9 overall — or if they trade back further into the round. They should have good choices available in the second round as well if they go offensive line in Round 1.

Regardless, the Bears must recognize they are far from one big blockbuster trade away from becoming regular contenders — as nice as Parsons in orange and navy sounds.