The Buccaneers are out of the Micah Parsons trade conversation before they even had a chance to put skin in the game

The reasons are simple when looking at the current state of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. For starters, they already invested a lot into their current crop of pass rushers and they want to develop Yaya Diaby and Chris Braswell into reliable, effective starters (and David Walker once he returns from ACL surgery). The Bucs have a vision when it comes to their pass rush and while yes, Parsons would enhance it, it's not like the position group is a weakness, by any means.

The Bucs simply don't make blockbuster trades under Jason Licht, either. Acquiring Parsons would require at least two first-round picks to even start the conversation - if you can get past Jerry Jones ignoring you, first. Licht heavily values draft picks and he does a great job with them (among others) in April. Sure, Parsons is a guaranteed product a future first-rounder isn't, but the Bucs have the right pieces in other places to offset any potential misfires.

There's also the fact Licht has to pay Parsons once he's hypothetically acquired. Deservedly so, Parsons' extension will set the mark for the highest non-paid QB in history. Licht has his own guys to worry about paying big money to in tackle Luke Goedeke, cornerback Zyon McCollum, tight end Cade Otton, EDGE Haason Reddick, wide receiver Mike Evans, and possibly even quarterback Baker Mayfield in 2026.

Adding Parsons likely removes several names from that list, therefore, asking the question of it's really worth it in the big picture is more than fair. Odds are, in Licht's eyes, it's not.

Timing has so much to do with a lot of things in the NFL and that's the exact case, here. The Bucs are already set up in a way where it didn't even make sense before the trade request came out and while it may seem like a missed opportunity, it's not.