Another elite NFL player is at odds with his team and has requested a trade.
Micah Parsons has been added to the list of holdouts who are fed up with their teams and have opted to demand a trade. Three All-Pro players have requested trades in the past few months. Each carries significant value to his current team and could provide even more if traded. While there’s still plenty of time for each player to make up with their current squad and sign a new deal, here's a look at how they rank in comparison to each other should they take their trade demand to the end.
1. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Parsons made his trade request on Friday and seems supremely annoyed with how negotiations for his new contract have gone. The two-time All-Pro claims the Cowboys have attempted to negotiate directly with him by going around his agent. It is a situation that is getting progressively uglier.
The 26-year-old is arguably the NFL's best defender. He has racked up 52.5 sacks in 63 career games and has been in double figures in each of his four NFL seasons. He's just starting his prime and there's no reason to think he will fall off any time soon.
If he were actually moved, Parsons would immediately be one of the best players to get traded in NFL history. He's an elite talent at his position and the haul in return for him would be one of the biggest we've ever seen. It would likely start with three first-round picks and possibly include more. Then the team acquiring him would have to hand him the biggest contract for a defender in league history.
He is easily the best player on this list.
2. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Hendrickson is a four-time Pro Bowler and was named first-team All-Pro in 2024 after totalling a league-high 17.5 sacks. The 30-year-old defensive end is looking to cash in before starting the final year of his contract, but the Bengals have handed out some huge deals over the past two years and are fighting him. He sought and got permission to look for a trade a few months ago.
Despite not having the highest profile, Hendrickson has totaled 35 sacks in the past two seasons and 70.5 in the past five. He's an elite edge rusher in the middle of his prime who might actually be getting better. While he won't command a contract in the range of Myles Garrett's four-year, $160 million deal, or T.J. Watt's three-year, $123 million contract, he'll get a significant chunk of change from somewhere.
Hendrickson is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL and isn't easily replaceable.
3. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
McLaurin's situation with the Commanders has deteriorated significantly over the past few months. The 29-year-old All-Pro wideout has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of the past five seasons, and nearly had it as a rookie in 2019, when he had 919 yards. In 2024, McLaurin caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns, then tagged on 14 catches for 227 yards and three more scores in the postseason. He was a huge factor in easing quarterback Jayden Daniels's transition to the NFL.
Now McLaurin wants to be paid like a No. 1 receiver, and understandably so. He's in his prime, and this is likely to be his big chance to score a major deal. The only downside for him is that receivers are fairly replaceable in the NFL these days, which lessens his overall value.
If the Commanders move him, they'll be able to get a return, but it won't be what Parsons or Hendrickson can fetch.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking Micah Parsons and Other NFL Stars Currently Demanding Trades.
