Quarterbacks may still drive the NFL’s headlines, but the league’s defensive stars have made plenty of noise of their own over the past year.
What started with contract frustration in a few places has turned into a run of blockbuster moves, surprise requests, and a couple of deals that changed the look of entire defenses. From Micah Parsons to Vita Vea, the list keeps growing.
Micah Parsons was the one who set the tone. On Aug. 1 last year, he asked the Cowboys for a trade as contract talks stalled out, and the standoff dragged through nearly the entire month of training camp.
Dallas eventually gave in and sent him to the Packers in a huge deal that brought back two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons had been pushing to reset the market for defensive players, while Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to go that far.
The result was an extension in Green Bay worth $46 million annually.
Myles Garrett followed a different path, but the ending was just as dramatic. He requested a trade early in 2025, then signed a massive extension a month later and seemed to put the whole situation behind him.
Still, Cleveland’s thinking changed, and the Browns sent him to the Rams on June 1 in a stunning move that returned draft picks in each of the first three rounds and pass-rusher Jared Verse. Garrett did not publicly request a trade after setting the single-season sack record in 2025.
Maxx Crosby’s situation was more complicated. After the 2025 season, he made it clear he was unhappy with the Raiders and would welcome a trade.
He was upset by what he believed was a tanking-related decision to shut him down before the end of the season, while Las Vegas said he was dealing with a significant knee injury that needed repair. Two months after the season ended, it looked like he was headed to the Ravens for two first-round picks, but that deal fell apart four days later after Baltimore got concerning results from his physical.
For now, Crosby appears ready to stay with the Raiders for at least another season.
The Jets also became a major part of this story, even when the players themselves weren’t the ones asking out. Sauce Gardner never requested a trade, but New York still moved him to the Colts less than four months after giving him a lucrative extension.
The return was two first-round picks, and Gardner was “stunned” by the move, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Soon after, the Jets sent Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys as part of the same firesale.
Williams had reportedly made “multiple” trade requests before finally getting his wish. Dallas used one of the first-round picks it had received for Parsons, along with other assets, to land Williams and give its defense another major piece.
Dexter Lawrence also got his exit after contract talks went nowhere. In early April, he requested a trade from the Giants, and New York found a deal it liked: the No. 10 overall pick.
The Giants sent him to the Bengals days before the draft, and that pick eventually became OT Francis Mauigoa. Lawrence got the fresh start he wanted, and Cincinnati added a defender it badly needed.
Now Vita Vea has joined the list. Buccaneers camp opened Monday with the veteran defensive tackle requesting a trade after little progress in contract negotiations.
Vea is entering the final year of his deal and wants more security now, but the two sides are not on the same page. According to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, Vea would prefer a trade to either a California-based team or the Raiders.
That leaves Tampa Bay trying to either restart talks or find a trade while still building a defensive line it can trust this season.
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