Patriots
Both McLaurin and Parsons have demanded a trade in recent days.
The Patriots have a decent shot at landing one of the two disgruntled NFL stars who have requested a trade in recent days, if oddsmakers are to be believed.
New England has the second-best odds to be the team where Terry McLaurin (+450) and Micah Parsons (+1000) will be on for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season on DraftKings Sportsbook. Only the respective teams that McLaurin (Commanders, -250) and Parsons (-300, Cowboys) are currently on have better odds, although the Eagles are tied with the Patriots for the second-best odds to be the team Parsons is on in Week 1.
Both players would, obviously, fill positions of need for the Patriots. However, there does seem to be more buzz about McLaurin heading to New England than Parsons becoming a member of the Patriots, which is reflected in those odds. New England’s implied probability to land McLaurin is 18.2 percent, while its implied probability to acquire Parsons is at nine percent, according to DraftKings.
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, has been outspoken about his desire to get a new contract this offseason as he enters the final year of his deal, which is a three-year, $68.4 million deal. He initially didn’t report to Commanders training camp, but became a “hold-in” on Sunday.
Recent history would seem to indicate that a deal for McLaurin would likely start with a second-round pick. Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer believes that a team would have to give up a “high” draft pick along with a player or two to acquire McLaurin in a trade.
Of course, whoever trades for McLaurin would also have to extend him, too. As wide receiver salaries have continued to climb this season, McLaurin’s $23.2 million average annual salary makes him the 23rd-highest-paid wide receiver in the league. Considering how similar their careers have been to this point, DK Metcalf’s four-year, $132 million extension that he signed with the Steelers in March could be seen as a reasonable expectation for what McLaurin should get. In fact, McLaurin’s camp is using Metcalf’s deal as the base for contract extension talks with the Commanders, according to Breer.
Parsons is in a similar boat as McLaurin. He’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, but the cost to get him might be even more substantial. As he’s been named a Pro Bowler in each of the first four years of his career, ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed to the Bears’ trade for Khalil Mack in 2018 as a possible comp for a Parsons deal. In that trade, Chicago gave up two first-round picks while getting a second-round pick in return.
In terms of financial compensation, Parsons might end up becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league when he signs his next deal. The market for edge rushers has exploded this offseason, with each elite pass rusher’s extension seemingly being richer than the last. T.J. Watt’s three-year, $123 million extension with the Steelers became the richest deal ever for a non-quarterback in NFL history when he signed it in July.
As the Patriots have been linked to both players already, Mike Vrabel isn’t willing to hint at any possible interest the team has in the two stars.
“I’m not going to comment on players that are under contract on other teams. Let’s focus on the ones that are here, that we’re working with,” Vrabel told reporters on Friday. “ I mean, we see all these things happen in the National Football League, whether it’s the offseason, whether it’s before the season starts. So, everybody’s working with different situations, so those respective players and respective teams will focus on their situations, and we’ll focus on ours.”
Obviously, both teams have to be willing to trade those players in order for the Patriots to get them as well. As of Saturday, the Commanders reportedly have no plans to move McLaurin, and the Cowboys are intending to keep Parsons.
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