One thing about the NFL is it’s never boring. Drama always seems to pop up every year, both on and off the field. No team is better at producing both than the Dallas Cowboys. Team owner Jerry Jones has gotten himself into hot water by alienating superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons. The All-Pro wants a new contract. Jones has tried negotiating one, but with Parsons himself. He has intentionally tried to avoid the edge rusher’s agent. This approach has frustrated Parsons to the point where he has requested a trade. Inevitably, the speculation about where he could end up has hit overdrive. Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker chose to add to it.

He tweeted, urging his team to explore the idea of bringing Parsons to town. The Bears’ defense is already good, but a pass rusher of his caliber would make them elite. There is also a personal element to it for Brisker. He and Parsons were teammates at Penn State for the 2019 season. The Nittany Lions were 11-2 that season, finishing with the 8th-ranked defense in the country. No doubt Briser would love to experience that connection again in Chicago.

Jaquan Brisker might be asking too much of the Bears.

Firstly, the odds of Dallas trading Parsons are still low. As unhappy as he may be, Jones doesn’t have a big reputation for trading superstar players. The odds are he will eventually pay the edge rusher his money, just like he did Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. That said, the price tag would be astronomical if a trade were to happen. Most believe it would be in the range of what Khalil Mack commanded in 2018: two 1st round picks and multiple later picks. Then there is the contract issue. Parsons is almost certainly expecting $41 million per year. Probably more. He’s aiming to be the highest-paid pass rusher ever.

The Bears would have to do some serious cap maneuvering to make that happen. Everybody remembers the Mack trade. It worked out great at first, but over time, the sacrifice of so many picks caught up to them. Jaquan Brisker has every right to want a reunion with Parsons. Logistically, it just doesn’t make sense.

Something is happening at Halas Hall. Remember, Luther Burden didn’t start practicing until midway through this week. He’d been nursing a hamstring injury that had kept him out of spring practices at the start of training camp. Despite that, buzz has built that the rookie receiver is already tearing up drills. His speed, acceleration, and route-running skills are shining. Starting defensive backs can’t cover him. For all the talk about him being behind in understanding the offense, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Jeff Hughes of Sports Mockery spoke to multiple people inside he organization. Rest assured, the buzz is real. Even people who know football to the deepest depths admit Burden isn’t some camp fluke. His play speed has even surprised some of the people who drafted him. It gets better, though. Hughes spoke to executives outside the organization as well. They’ve echoed the same thing. Say what you want about Burden’s personality and work ethic. When he’s locked in, he can play with anybody.

This week, I have heard from multiple people, and they have said the same thing to me. And what they have said is that Luther Burden is a player. No flamboyant language, no exaggerated tones, no lofty statistical expectations for his rookie year. I have simply heard in just straightforward language, Luther Burden is a player.

And I will tell you, one of the people I’ve heard that from is in a different organization. The Bears think they may have stumbled onto one here.

Luther Burden could be what the Bears have been missing.

They’ve done a good job of acquiring talent since Poles arrived in 2022. Several good players like Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, and Gervon Dexter have joined the ranks. Yet through all of that, they still haven’t hit a true home run. They haven’t added a star. Maybe Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze cross that threshold, but time will tell. Luther Burden already feels like he is in that category. Yes, it’s early. He has plenty of proving to do. Still, the eyes rarely deceive. The receiver looks like he’s operating at a different speed from everybody else. Stars typically do that. Maybe things get sidetracked by injuries or personality issues. It’s the NFL. Even so, Burden is positioned to reach heights no Bears receiver has in at least a decade, maybe longer.

Some players just seem to have bad luck in their NFL careers. They never end up in a great situation regarding a solid coaching staff and great teammates. Dick Butkus spent only a couple of years with an aging George Halas before he was subjected to some of the worst head coaches in Bears history. Hall of Fame tackle Joe Thomas was stuck with Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski, Mike Pettine, and Hue Jackson. Ugly. DJ Moore understands those men as well as anybody.

He started his career playing for the pretty good Ron Rivera in Carolina. However, he was fired shortly after the receiver arrived. From there, it was Matt Rhule before coming to the Chicago Bears, where he got two years of Matt Eberflus. One can understand why he’d be skeptical of any head coach the organization hires at this point. Moore sat down to speak with Bleacher Report about the state of the Bears going into an important 2025 season. He was immediately asked for his impressions of the new coaching staff led by Ben Johnson.

This elicited an interesting opening response, followed by another that was semi-unprompted.

DJ Moore is already buying the culture, which is eye-opening.

He’s had a reputation in the past of being reluctant to buy in right away. In hindsight, that is probably a good thing since he seemed to sense Rhule and Eberflus weren’t right for the job. The fact that he is already speaking highly of Johnson’s “culture” can’t be overstated. If you win over DJ Moore, there is a strong probability that most of the locker room will follow his lead. Remember, the wide receiver is noted for being a great team guy behind closed doors. Winning him over was probably a top priority for Johnson and the staff. That objective was accomplished. Signs are already growing that the offense is coming together. Caleb Williams looks sharp. Moore is being used in more creative ways than ever. It could be a fun season for him.

In a shocking twist that sent NFL Twitter into a frenzy, Micah Parsons has officially requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys, signaling the beginning of what could be the biggest trades since the Khalil Mack deal in 2018. Parsons, who tweeted “Thank you Dallas,” and confirmed he’s submitted a formal request to Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, is widely considered one of the most dominant defenders in football—and now he may be on the move.

Enter the Chicago Bears.

Armed with cap space, young talent, and multiple first-round picks, the Bears are among the very few franchises that can make a legitimate run at acquiring the All-Pro linebacker. If general manager Ryan Poles wants to capitalize on the momentum of the Caleb Williams era and supercharge a defense that already boasts stars like Jaylon Johnson and Tremaine Edmunds, now is the time.

And this is the type of offer it would take to blow the Cowboys away.

Proposed Trade:

Chicago Bears Receive:

• EDGE/LB Micah Parsons

Dallas Cowboys Receive:

• 2026 1st-round pick
• 2027 1st-round pick
• 2026 2nd-round pick
• EDGE Montez Sweat
• Conditional 2027 3rd-round pick (upgrades to 2nd if Parsons earns All-Pro honors or signs an extension with Chicago)

This five-piece package is the kind of haul Dallas would need to justify trading away the face of their defense. While Parsons has two years left on his rookie deal, the impasse in contract negotiations and apparent broken trust with the Cowboys front office has made this scenario far more realistic than anyone imagined just weeks ago.

For Dallas, the trade would replenish their draft coffers while providing an immediate defensive replacement in Montez Sweat. Sweat, acquired by the Bears in 2023 and extended through 2027, is coming off a career-high 12.5 sacks and provides steady production off the edge. The Cowboys would retain a playoff-caliber pass rush without having to commit north of $30 million annually to Parsons, which he’s reportedly seeking.

The extra first-rounders—one in 2026 and another in 2027—give Dallas long-term flexibility as they navigate extensions for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and other cornerstones. The conditional third-round pick sweetens the pot and protects Dallas’ downside if Parsons immediately returns to All-Pro form in Chicago.

Why the Bears Should Pull the Trigger

For Chicago, this is the type of gamble that Super Bowl contenders make.

Micah Parsons is a generational talent—versatile enough to play multiple linebacker roles while wreaking havoc as a pure edge rusher. Adding him to a defense that already features playmakers at all three levels would elevate Dennis Allen’s unit into one of the NFL’s most feared.

More importantly, the Bears have invested a lot of draft capital to build around rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. With a franchise QB on a rookie deal, the time to invest in elite talent is now.

Parsons would immediately become the cornerstone of the Bears defense for the next five to seven years. Paired with Williams, the team would have young leaders on both sides of the ball to drive a true championship window.

Final Thoughts

It’s rare for a player of Micah Parsons’ caliber to become available, and rarer still for a team to have the resources, cap space, and motivation to acquire him. But the Chicago Bears check every box.

This proposed trade may seem steep—but elite players cost elite capital. For Dallas, it’s a way out of a financial corner. For Chicago, it’s a bet on greatness.

And if Parsons dons the navy and orange this fall, Soldier Field may once again echo with the roar of a dominant defense leading the way.

Chicago Bears fans aren’t strangers to tension or even bad blood between their quarterback and head coach. Mike Ditka and Jim McMahon always butted heads. Jay Cutler had well-documented issues with Mike Martz and Marc Trestman. Matt Nagy famously soured on Mitch Trubisky after 2018, while Justin Fields called out Matt Eberflus and his staff for their rigid style. Sometimes the two sides worked through it, but too often it led to public falling outs and the team’s collapse. So you can imagine how some fans feel upon hearing whispers that Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams aren’t at the most harmonious point right now.

The rumor is the Bears head coach is frustrated with his quarterback’s progress, or lack thereof. He was hoping to see more precision from Williams by now. Neither man has even once hinted at something like this publicly. Both have insisted their relationship is good. Of course, they could be covering up the truth to avoid a scandal. Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog decided to set the record straight. Is there already a rift between the two?

Nope.

The two are on the same page from everything he’s heard inside the building. Williams loves Johnson’s teaching ability, while the head coach admires the quarterback’s work ethic.

Ben Johnson is already seeing the signs he wants.

Williams had by far the best practice of training camp on Thursday. He accurately rifled throws to his receivers, both inside and outside the pocket. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a huge step in the right direction. Don’t forget this was only the first week of camp. For Williams to be showing such positive signs already is a great thing. The ascent of young receivers like Rome Odunze and Luther Burden has certainly helped, along with an improved offensive line. More than anything, Ben Johnson has been the difference. His relentless and detailed coaching style has kept Williams on his toes. Every small mistake gets instantly corrected. There is no cutting corners in this offense. The results are starting to show. If they translate to on-field success, their relationship will grow stronger as a result.