As the NFL season looms around the corner, training camp season starts to wind down, and the preseason begins, three major trade negotiations threaten to derail the hopes of three legitimate Super Bowl contenders. This is how the trade sagas of Terry McLaurin, Micah Parsons, and Trey Hendrickson could shape their teams' futures.
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are coming off one of the worst defensive seasons they've ever had. They let teams put up touchdowns over two-thirds of the time from the red zone, tied in allowing the third-most total TDs over the course of the 2024-25 season, and were 25th in the league in total yards allowed.
Which should make it even more impressive that DE Trey Hendrickson is coming off of his fourth Pro Bowl campaign in a row, while also selected for First Team All-Pro. He is their first, last, and best line of defense, and the only thing keeping Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase from being on the field for all 60 minutes of play. And it's not like Cincinnati doesn't want to pay him like it -- NBC Sports reports that their offer has gone north of $30 million per year, and the ony thing seemingly stalling a done deal is proposed pay structure.
But whatever the issue is, it's big. NBC Sports went on to note that Hendrickson was moved to the third string, and Yahoo Sports projects him to be traded to the Lions before all is said and done. And if that happens, we'll just say that the Bengals' skill players are going to be fantasy football gold this season. As for real life, however, even if Hendrickson stays, this lengthy holdout is likely to require him to brush up on his conditioning. What's more, Hendrickson is turning 30, and going straight into NFL-level football as a DE right off the couch at that age is a recipe for injury.
And for players with injury histories like the aforementioned Burrow and Chase, overwork and burnout resulting from Hendrickson's departure or unavailability is also a very bad look. If they don't get this deal done, Cincinnati would be even more fun to watch for the fireworks and shootouts. They would also most likely be out of the playoff race altogether.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Terry McLaurin is not DK Metcalf, but don't tell him that. Despite reportedly being linked to his Pittsburgh counterpart in contract negotiations with the Commanders, McLaurin demanding a match to DK Metcalf's deal is largely a myth. However, he is still asking for enough money to make Washington pause, despite his status as one of the NFL's most consistent lead receivers. With five straight 1,000 yard seasons under his belt, McLaurin shows no signs of slowing down (at least not yet), and is as close to Mike Evans as you can get outside of Tampa bay.
And yet the negotiations still stalled, and the trade demand still happened. On the surface, this is all very scary for Jayden Daniels. Despite being voted by NFL coaches and execs as a top five quarterback going into the 2025-26 season, Daniels is still incredibly young. And in his rookie year, Daniels used McLaurin as the receiver equivalent of a security blanket. McLaurin's 117 targets was nearly double Washington's second-most target, and his total yards actually did double Olamide Zacchaeus'. If Washington loses their top receiver by a long shot, it's easy to call for the apocalypse right now.
Except they didn't really pass all that much. Washington was a top five scoring team in total and per game points for 2024, and that was reflected in their rushing totals (7th in total and per game rushing yards) and both pass and rush TD's (9th and 4th, respectively). However, their passing yardage stats landed in the middle of the pack. The Commanders are a team whose bread and butter truly lie in simply moving the chains, their passing data indicates that their airborne TD's largely came from the red zone.
Washington will miss McLaurin should he decide to leave, make no doubt about it. But they don't necessarily thrive of what he uniquely offers. Jayden Daniels is a legitimate dual threat and polished passer of the football, new signee Deebo Samuel fits into their scheme, and a healthy Brian Robinson, Jr./Austin Ekeler backfield is as versatile as you can ask for. They wouldn't challenge the Eagles, but could still easily still post the second-best campaign in the NFC East, even without McLaurin in tow.
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
And here we are. The big one. Micah Parsons, the next up at bat in the line of legendary pass rushing athletes. Even in just 13 games in 2024, Parsons tied for the fifth-most sacks in the NFL, and his projected 39 tackles over 17 games would have given him the fourth most among defensive ends. Micah needs to be paid, period.
Because even with him, the Cowboys' defense was absolutely putrid -- and if you've read through this entire article thus far, the situation sounds like Trey Hendrickson's. Except in this case, you can also throw what can easily be construed as disrespect into the mix, as team owner Jerry Jones has reportedly not even spoken with Parsons directly since early January.
We'll make this entry short: Micah Parsons is unlikely to actually go anywhere, even after publicizing his trade request. Jerry Jones is the type of owner who likes to sit, pout, throw tantrums, and then eventually cave past the point of decency. However, Parsons hasn't practiced, and could even miss time this season. Dallas has the fifth-toughest schedule in the league this season, with a brutal opener against the reignin Super Bowl Champions. Without Micah, you can expect the Cowboys to be in legitimate shootouts for an indefinite amount of time, and this team goes where its morale does.
If they start poorly and derail (there is a legitimate chance Dallas can start 1-3 if Micah spends time on the bench), Dallas can easily snowball their way into the bottom of the NFC East, even with all the star power and name recognition in the world.