Three NFL stars who have demanded a trade

Terry McLaurin (DSC00804, Wikimedia Commons)

The National Football League is just over a month away, and one of the bigger stories is the fact that three of its superstars want to be traded. They are Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin of Indianapolis, Indiana, and Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson of Orlando, Florida according to Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated on Friday.

Hendrickson wants a contract extension like they gave wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Speaking of Chase, McLaurin wants to be paid like an elite wide receiver, and Parsons has been dissatisfied with how contract negotiations have been going.

You could make the argument that Hendrickson is a formidable defensive player, but may not be an elite difference maker event though he was runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. Remember, the Bengals defense was not great last season, unlike their offense. In 17 games, Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks, 46 combined tackles (33 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles), 36 quarterback hits, 19 tackles for a loss, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles. The first forced fumble came in a 41-24 Bengals win over the Las Vegas Raiders on November 3, and the second forced fumble came in a 37-27 Bengals win over the Tennessee Titans on December 15. Hendrickson has also been selected to the Pro Bowl the last four seasons with Cincinnati after signing from New Orleans in 2021.

McLaurin has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2022 and 2024). This past season in Washington, he had 82 catches for 1096 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

Parsons has been selected to the Pro Bowl the last four years and was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. In 2024, Parsons had 43 combined tackles (30 solo tackles and 13 assisted tackles), 23 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for a loss, 12 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection. The pass deflection came in a 33-17 Cowboys win over the Cleveland Browns on September 8.