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See the full story · 2 sourcesFrom Micah Parsons to Vita Vea, here's every defensive superstar who requested trade from NFL team in last year originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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Quarterbacks run the NFL, but defenses are having their moment.
After the Seahawks ' defense served as the catalyst for a championship run, the NFL saw its first $50 million-per-year player this offseason in Will Anderson Jr. The Rams then paid up to acquire Myles Garrett from the Browns in a blockbuster deal.
Defensive players appear to know their worth. A handful of star defenders have requested trades over the past year, with contract disputes at the heart of most demands.
Here's a look at every defensive star with a recent trade request or involvement in a recent trade.
MORE: Top landing spots for Vita Vea after trade request
Micah Parsons
Micah Parsons requested a trade on Aug. 1 last year, kicking off Cowboys training camp with a bombshell as contract talks went nowhere. After the saga lasted nearly the entire month, the Cowboys relented and traded Parsons to the Packers in a blockbuster deal that netted Dallas two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Parsons wanted to shatter the record for highest-paid defensive player, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones showed an unwillingness to go that far. The two sides entered a cold war that lasted nearly four weeks before the deal to Green Bay, which came with an extension that pays Parsons $46 million annually.
MORE: The NFL's 25 highest-paid players in 2026
Myles Garrett
Imagn Images
Myles Garrett actually requested a trade early in 2025, only to sign a mega extension a month later and seemingly settle all of that talk down. Garrett didn't request a trade after setting the single-season sack record in 2025, at least publicly, but sentiment in the Browns' front office shifted. Cleveland traded Garrett to the Rams in a stunner on June 1, landing draft picks in each of the first three rounds along with pass-rusher Jared Verse.
The case can be made that the top two edge rushers in the NFL — and perhaps even the top two defensive players — have both been traded in the past year, between Parsons and Garrett. Will Anderson Jr. and Patrick Surtain II, however, might be among the players to dispute that.
Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby made it clear after the 2025 season that he was frustrated with the Raiders and would welcome a trade. The standout pass-rusher took issue with what he believed was a tanking-related decision by Las Vegas to shut him down before the end of the season, though the Raiders insisted he was dealing with a significant knee injury that needed to be repaired.
Two months after the season ended, Crosby appeared to get his wish with a deal that would have sent him to the Ravens for two first-round picks. The trade was called off four days after the reported agreement, with Baltimore not willing to take the risk on Crosby's knee after concerning results from his physical.
At this point, Crosby appears to be content with playing out at least one more season with the Raiders.
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Sauce Gardner
Sauce Gardner didn't request a trade from the Jets , but he found himself on the move in one of the most stunning midseason trades in recent NFL history, if not all of NFL history. The Jets dealt the former All-Pro cornerback to the Colts less than four months after he signed a lucrative extension, netting a pair of first-round picks.
Gardner was "stunned" by the deal, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini . Most of the football world was as well, though the opportunity to add two first-round picks and shed Gardner's contract after he struggled to play like he did at the start of his career earned the Jets some praise.
Quinnen Williams
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Jets' firesale continued with the trade of DT Quinnen Williams to the Cowboys shortly after the Gardner deal went down. While it wasn't known publicly that Williams wanted out, reports surfaced after the deal revealing the former No. 3 pick had made "multiple" trade requests before getting his wish.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, flipped one of the first-round picks they received for Parsons, along with other assets, to the Jets to upgrade what was a leaky defense. The deal gave Williams a fresh start in Dallas, where he is set to be one of the Cowboys' most important defenders in 2026.
MORE: Grading every NFL team's offseason
Dexter Lawrence
After contract talks sputtered, Giants DT Dexter Lawrence requested a trade in early April. The Giants might not have wanted to part with a core defensive piece, but they found an offer they couldn't refuse: the No. 10 overall pick.
New York traded Lawrence to the Bengals days before April's draft, fulfilling his wish and landing a pick that became OT Francis Mauigoa while getting out of the defensive tackle's contract. For Lawrence, the deal was a chance to become a core piece of a Bengals defense that desperately needed upgrades.
Vita Vea
Buccaneers camp opened with a surprise on Monday, with longtime starting DT Vita Vea requesting a trade after making little progress contract talks. Vea is heading into the final year of his deal and wanted some security now, but the two sides are reportedly not on the same page.
Vea prefers a trade to either a California-based team or the Raiders, according to The Athletic's Ted Nguyen . The trade request leaves the Buccaneers scrambling to either ramp up contract negotiations again or find a deal while still putting out a defensive line they can feel confident in this season.
MORE: Why Vita Vea requested a trade out of Tampa Bay
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