Caleb Williams Alludes to Bears Trying to Trade Micah Parsons
There’s a reason they tell you think before you post, as one innocent post from Caleb Williams has people talking.
After the Dallas Cowboys signed CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136 million extension, and Jerry Jones still needing to keep the checkbook open if he wants to pay Dak Prescott , speculation has mounted over whether there’s enough room in Dallas to pay Micah Parsons, who will also be looking for an extension after this season.
Williams has since deleted a repost on X hinting that the Chicago Bears should target Parsons in a trade, but he hit send, and fortunately, Jon Greenburg of The Athletic captured it in a screenshot.
It might seem crazy to think that Bears GM Ryan Poles can call up Jerry Jones and convince him to part ways with his star pass rusher, but what if the Bears were willing to actually give it a shot?
New England Patriots Edge Rusher Matt Judon
Related
One Other NFC Team Wanted Matthew Judon, But On One Condition
Matthew Judon had other suitors, before the Patriots ultimately shipped him off to the Atlanta Falcons for a 3rd-round pick.
One thing we do know, is that Ryan Poles and the Bears were in fact shopping for a pass-rusher this offseason.
When the New England Patriots were taking calls on Matthew Judon, the Bears had a deal in place to land Judon for a 3rd round pick, pending an extension. However, Judon wasn’t willing to sign with the Bears long-term, choosing to go to the Atlanta Falcons and work his way into a better deal in the offseason as a free agent.
As for the Bears, they certainly still have some cap space to work with, as Parsons is only carrying a $5.4 million cap hit this season, before it jumps to over $21 million in 2025, with the Cowboys having picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract.
Heading into Week 1, the Bears have close to $17 million in cap space, and nearly $63 million next year. All their core players are signed long-term as well, with most being at fairly reasonable cap hits.
Chicago Bears Core Pieces & Their 2025 Cap Hits
Player
2025 Cap Hit
Caleb Williams (QB)
$8.9 million
D.J. Moore (WR)
$24.9 million
Rome Odunze (WR)
$5.1 million
Montez Sweat (OLB)
$25 million
Jaylon Johnson (CB)
$21 million
Tremaine Edmunds (ILB)
$17.4 million
Cole Kmet (TE)
$11.6 million
The Bears certainly have the cap space to fit Parsons in for another few years, before Caleb Williams would presumbly need to get a big contract extension.
They also badly need another pass-rusher, as they struggled to get after the quarterback last season, even after trading for Montez Sweat. The Bears ranked 31st in sacks in 2023, with just 30 on the season.
GIVEMESPORT Key Stat: Micah Parsons registered 14 sacks in 2023, nearly matching the Bears’ top three sack leaders combined (Sweat, Justin Jones and Yannick Ngakoue totaled 14.5).
Not many teams would say no to Parsons, but the Bears in particular could really start thinking bigger than playoff team if they added a difference maker like Parsons.
There’s only one problem… convincing Jerry Jones to part ways with his defensive cornerstone.
The Cowboys Remain Focused on Extending Dak Prescott, Before Getting to Parsons
Parsons likely wouldn’t get an extension until 2025.
The Cowboys managed to get their deal with Lamb done after lots of offseason and training camp drama, and now, they’ll need to fork over somewhere in the $55-60 million range to keep Dak Prescott in Dallas.
If the Cowboys pay Dak somewhere in that ballpark, where would that leave Parsons? For now, Parsons is happy that his teammate Lamb got his big payday, as he shared on The Edge podcast:
Congratulations to my man, CeeDee Lamb. Couldn’t be happier for the guy. One of the best dudes in the locker room. One of the best players on our team. To get the pay day he got to take care of his family… It’s a dream to be watching you, partner up with you and suiting up with you every week. Congratulations on your bread. You earned every dollar.
As of now, the Cowboys have $64.4 million in cap space for 2025, which would quickly disappear with a Prescott extension. That would leave them needing to limit spending in free agency, and they would need to part ways with other players.
At that point, would Jerry Jones consider moving his pass-rusher, who would likely ask for a deal north of $25 million?
If we’re using the Khalil Mack trade from the Raiders to the Bears from several years ago as a potential return, here’s what the Bears needed to give up to land a pass rusher in his prime:
Two 1st-round picks (2019, 2020)
3rd-round pick (2020)
6th-round pick (2019)
Certainly, if a trade for Parsons ever happens, it won’t be this season. The Cowboys have no reason to move Parsons while he’s still cheap, and their window for a Super Bowl is now.
However, if Parsons and the Cowboys are in ugly negotiations at this time next year, perhaps the Bears would swing for the fences and make themselves a Super Bowl contender by landing one of the best edge rushers in the game.
