Bears safety Jaquan Brisker calls for Penn State reunion with Micah Parsons trade
Bears fans are going to like what Jaquan Brisker is pitching
Six and a half years ago, just days ahead of the start of the 2018 NFL season, the Chicago Bears traded for Khalil Mack, dealing a pair of 1st round picks, a 3rd round pick and 6th round pick to the then-Oakland Raiders for the fifth-year All-Pro edge rusher who couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension with the team that had made him a 1st round draft pick four years earlier. Mack would go on to sign a record-setting contract extension in Chicago and help lead the Bears to a 12-4 record and their last NFC North division title.
All of this is worth noting because the Bears find themselves in an awfully familiar situation as they prepare to enter the 2025 offseason — 2nd year quarterback at the helm, new offensive-minded head coach taking over following a disappointing three-year regime, and a glaring hole on one side of the defensive line. And who better to fill that void than Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, another All-Pro edge rusher preparing to enter his fifth NFL season?
The Dallas Cowboys have begun having internal discussions about whether to extend Parsons or explore trading him, and if they do choose to go the route that will surely enrage an already hostile group of fans in Dallas, there will be 31 teams making a call to see what it would take to acquire one of the league’s best pass rushers. And Bears safety Jaquan Brisker, who was a teammate of Parsons for two seasons at Penn State, is already angling for Chicago to facilitate a reunion.
“We’ll welcome 11 (Parsons) with open arms!” Brisker said on X on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears had the opportunity to draft Parsons in 2021, but instead opted to select Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick, just one selection ahead of Parsons. The Bears were in desperate need of a quarterback at the time, but with hindsight being 20/20, it’s obvious that Chicago should’ve instead selected Fields’ former Big Ten rival.
Would the Bears be willing to part ways with a pair of 1st round picks once again in order to land one of the league’s premier edge rushers? That likely depends on how successful they are in building their offensive line in free agency. Chicago is expected to select the best available offensive linemen with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024, a number they need to cut in half if this offense hopes to reach its potential in 2025.
Two urgent lines forming for Ryan Poles in Bears free agency
Bears coach Ben Johnson may have put GM Ryan Poles at a bit of a disadvantage already for free agency negotiations.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen may have, as well.
The Bears coaches already offered up high praise for two players in line to receive contract extensions well in advance of any deadline.
One of those players was slot cornerback Kyler Gordon.
“Secondary wise, I think Gordon’s a phenomenal nickel,” Johnson said.
Allen did little to downplay Gordon’s importance.
“Kyler Gordon, is an outstanding nickel player,” he said. “I have a vision for how we can utilize him.”
The other was injured defensive tackle Andrew Billings, whose healing pectoral injury should allow him to participate at some point in offseason work, according to what Poles said.
Johnson saw the Bears defense twice without Billings after his injury.
“This year what was a little different than 2023 was Billings being out,” Johnson said. “Him being out, we could feel that when we played Chicago.”
Billings’ impact was palpable, as former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai liked to say.
These two players are in a different line of free agents than those whose fate must be addressed before the March 12 deadline.
