GREEN BAY, Wis. – Almost exactly 14 months ago, on Aug. 28, 2025, the Green Bay Packers announced they had made a blockbuster trade for Micah Parsons. While general manager Brian Gutekunst went out of his way not to say it, it was meant to be the final piece of the Packers’ championship puzzle.

On Thursday, the rival Chicago Bears pulled off their own blockbuster trade for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. It’s clear as day the Bears see a championship window that’s wide open and believe they are ready to jump through it.

The Packers sent two first-round picks and aging defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for Parsons. The Bears sent two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to the Titans for Simmons and a fifth-round pick.

The trades are the latest layers in the teams’ out-of-hibernation rivalry. The Bears are 5-2, putting them in second place in the NFC North and fifth place in the NFC. Help is on the way with Simmons, who is one of the league’s premier defensive tackles. The Packers are 4-3 entering Thursday night’s game against the Panthers. Help is on the way for them, too, with Parsons, who is one of the league’s premier edge rushers.

The opportunity is there to do something big, which is why the Bears made the same type of all-in move as the Packers did with Parsons.

The opportunity is there for Green Bay, too.

Golden Opportunity for Bears (And Packers)

The NFC North-leading Vikings are the only undefeated team in the NFL. They are 6-0 because of a juggernaut defense that has completely offset the team’s putrid offense. They are 29th in total offense and 23rd in scoring. While defense wins championships, that cliché can only do so much of the heavy lifting for an inept offense. In a word, they are vulnerable.

The 49ers are 6-1 and the closest pursuers in the race for the No. 1 seed. Highlighted by an offense that runs through 30-year-old running back Christian McCaffrey, they are an old team with injury problems. Old teams, typically, don’t get stronger or healthier. They are vulnerable.

The third-place team in the NFC is the Giants, who will be counting on former Vikings draft bust J.J. McCarthy to overcome quarterback Jaxson Dart’s season-ending injury. They are vulnerable.

The fourth-place team in the NFC is the Panthers, who are 3-3 entering the game at Lambeau. They are injured, wildly inconsistent and, yes, vulnerable.

The Bears are followed closely in the NFC by the Lions, who have a horrendous defense, and the Packers, who can’t get out of their own way and are dealing with a bunch of injuries. They are vulnerable.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are 4-3 and in eighth place in the NFC. They made a huge move earlier this week by acquiring perennial All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson, but their offense is a one-trick pony with Sam Darnold throwing to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Given the state of the NFC, it’s no wonder why the Bears made this blockbuster trade. They rightly believe the time is now.

Bears Are Good And Just Got Better

The Bears are 3-0 in games started and finished by quarterback Caleb Williams. They’ve got a dynamic running game with Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift and young playmakers in the passing game.

Defensively, the Bears, even after getting wrecked by the Packers a few weeks ago, are ninth in points allowed and ninth in total defense. They are 23rd in yards allowed per rushing play and 32nd in yards allowed per passing play.

Simmons will provide big-time help in both areas. A first-team All-Pro last year after a career-high 11 sacks, he has four sacks and six tackles for losses in seven games this season. The Bears already have a formidable pass rush, ranking third in sack percentage. Simmons will provide the type of interior pass rush that quarterbacks fear and Green Bay’s Jordan Love has tasted too frequently this year.

As Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said before the 2024 matchup at Tennessee:

“Simmons is really good. I think it’s harder in the pass game to double. When you have a guy like Simmons or Aaron Donald, when they play an interior position, a three-technique, you can slide at him, but there’s certain instances where they give you five across, they force you to go one-on-one pass protection, stuff like that, and that’s where those elite players make their money.

“He is definitely an elite player. He plays with a great motor. He’s got excellent talent, all the physical tools. Yeah, he’s going to be a problem that we have to understand where he’s at.”

Micah Parsons Is Returning; Is That Enough?

While Simmons will give the Bears a tremendous lift, the Packers are in a holding pattern with Parsons. He was a first-team All-Pro in his debut season with Green Bay, an utterly indomitable force who could only be slowed down through a torn ACL.

There is some optimism that Parsons will be on the practice field next week with a potential season debut in the Thanksgiving Eve game at the Rams. There’s obviously the unknown element over the impact Parsons will make upon his return – how long will it take for Peak Parsons to return? – but there’s no doubt whatsoever he will make the defense better than it has been this season with a chance to really hit its stride in January.

While Simmons, presumably, will be the Bears’ big addition at the trade deadline, the Packers are going to make their own “addition” with Parsons. Whether it’s a defensive tackle or receiver, where the Packers have been dealing with injuries, or the offensive line, where they have been saddled with mediocrity, there’s an opportunity for them to get better before the Nov. 10 deadline strikes.

With the Bears, Seahawks and 49ers (defensive tackle DeForest Buckner) striking already, the Packers might have to do the same.

Who Won the Big Trades?

The injury notwithstanding, the Packers made the better of the blockbuster trades.

Simmons is 29. The Bears inherited the three-year, $105.8 million contract agreed to this year. He’s got cap numbers ranging from $22.5 million in 2027 to $33.1 million in 2030, when he’ll be 33.

Parsons is 27. Upon acquiring him, the Packers signed him to a market-setting four-year, $188 million contract. His cap numbers are $19.2 million for this season, $26.85 million for 2027, $42.29 million in 2028 and $73.78 million in 2029, though that number is cranked up with a $43.55 million base salary. Parsons will be 30 in 2029 and perhaps worthy of another contract to deal with the financial pain of that huge cap number.

Moreover, the Packers were able to dump Clark’s enormous contract on the Cowboys.

Assuming Parsons returns to form following the injury – and that is no certainty, obviously – the Packers got the younger player and the better player at about the same level of compensation.

The Bears traded for Simmons because they see a championship window and a chance to win a Super Bowl. The Packers, as flawed as they have been this season, should see that same opportunity. It doesn’t have to be a blockbuster trade, and almost certainly won’t, but the Packers must improve their roster beyond simply getting Parsons back on the field.

Packers Predictions! ⬇️https://t.co/YoxfT6waAe

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 29, 2026