Excitement for the Chicago Bears this season was seemingly at an all-time high. It’s year one of the Ben Johnson era and Caleb Williams appears ready to take a second-year leap. Expectations are high for the team and so are excitement levels. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm has officially ruined the Bears’ preseason parade.
On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys traded star defender Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers immediately signed him to a four-year extension worth $188 million, making him the highest-paid non quarterback in the history of the NFL. The deal did cost Green Bay two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, but none of that matters since Parsons is set to wreak havoc on the NFC North for years to come.
Bears now have to worry about Micah Parsons and the Packers
Parsons has been the talk of the offseason, as his relationship with the Cowboys deteriorated because of unsuccessful contract talks. When the star defender demanded a trade, many fans assumed there was no way Dallas would ever move one of the league’s best players in his prime. When it became clear that things were heading in that direction, Bears fans hoped Chicago would grab the elite edge defender.
Instead of that happening, Parsons lands with the Bears’ No. 1 rival and Chicago has to worry about playing him twice a year. The Packers are already an 11-win team, loaded with young talent, but edge defender was an area of concern for them. That’s no longer the case, as Green Bay now has arguably the best edge defender in the league under contract for five years.
That’s terrible news for Chicago, and everything the team is building. It isn’t the end all, be all, as the Bears will continue to push towards being a contender, but this trade certainly makes the path more challenging.