In the end, it almost seems like the Green Bay Packers were bidding against themselves for the right to acquire star pass rusher Micah Parsons in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
For a player with such significant star power, you would think NFL teams would be lined up, ready to pay the Dallas Cowboys' (and Parsons') asking price if he was made available, but they weren't. A recent report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic indicates a number of significant contenders around the NFL never engaged in "substantive" talks with the Cowboys, even with a clear asking price.
The Denver Broncos were included in that, and in recent days, we've seen exactly why the Broncos passed on the chance to trade for Parsons.
Broncos chose long-term future with Nik Bonitto over Micah Parsons blockbuster
Teams like the Vikings, Browns, Broncos, Texans, Bengals, Chiefs, Commanders, 49ers, Titans and Rams never engaged in substantive trade talks for Micah Parsons, sources say.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) September 6, 2025
But some teams poked around before Parsons ultimately became a Packer: https://t.co/wDACEiMFI1 pic.twitter.com/2LFXAai3vh
Russini's report indicates that the Broncos, specifically, were one of a number of teams that "never engaged in substantive talks" regarding Micah Parsons.
The really interesting thing about that is that the Cowboys' asking price seemed to be rather straightforward. They wanted two first-round picks, a significant player, and Parsons wold obviously need to be paid. When the news came through that the Cowboys had accepted Green Bay's offer of two (likely late) first-round picks as well as defensive lineman Kenny Clark, just about every fan base had people wondering out loud, "Why didn't we give something like that?"
Broncos fans included.
Based on the trade the Cowboys accepted, the Broncos could have offered defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers and two first-round picks, and probably gotten the deal done. But in recent days, we've seen exactly why the Broncos decided never to get into substantive talks for Parsons.
It starts with pass rusher Nik Bonitto. The Broncos signed Bonitto to a contract worth $26.5 million in average annual salary this past week, and also re-signed Zach Allen to a deal worth $25.5 million in average annual value.
The Broncos are getting two players at the average annual price of $52 million in total money while the Packers are getting one Micah Parsons for the price of $46.5 million annually. Parsons received $136 million in total guaranteed money while the combination of Allen and Bonitto received $139.5 million guaranteed.
It's not that the Broncos wouldn't have wanted to add a player like Parsons to the mix. Any good general manager should have called. But the price to acquire the player wasn't the issue. It was the price to re-sign the player.
When you can have two guys like Allen and Bonitto for the price of one Parsons, it's a no-brainer to keep your NFL Draft capital and see what might come to you in NFL Free Agency.