Twice now prominent insiders have said Anthony Miller could be traded at some point this offseason. Thus far it hasn’t happened yet. Are the Chicago Bears just taking their time or is the market just not there? It should be noted that GM Ryan Pace never operates according to an urgent deadline. He’ll hang onto a player until he’s certain he can get something for them.

In 2019, Jordan Howard wasn’t traded until the end of March on the 28th. Last year, the Bears didn’t send Adam Shaheen to Miami until July 26th. Pace likely doesn’t feel any pressure to get it done immediately. He’s willing to wait the market out until somebody becomes interested. On the other hand, could he have a potential maneuver in mind?

Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago hinted at such a possibility.

“It would not be surprising to see Miller included in a trade on draft weekend. Mid-to-late round draft picks are constantly swapped on Days 2 and 3 of the draft and Pace is frequently involved in those movements. Miller could be included in one of those deals.”

This type of trade doesn’t happen often. At least not during the actual draft. Yet it’s not uncommon in terms of approach. Last year the San Francisco 49ers packaged Marquise Goodwin and their 240th pick in the 7th round to move up to the 190th pick in the 6th round via Philadelphia. Pace has shown many times over the years that he likes moving around in the later rounds. Could he end up using Miller as a means to go after a player in the draft he covets?

It is certainly possible. Remember the Bears don’t have a 4th round pick this year. Perhaps he could package Miller together with their 5th rounder to make a jump into that round. It wouldn’t be a hard sell for a number of teams interested in a talented receiver at the cost of some draft position. All things considered? Pace may prefer a simpler player-for-pick swap but it seems the demand is quite there. At least not yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umdjVdaEZKI&ab_channel=SimplyAS10

Anthony Miller is going to fetch something

It’s a matter of when and how much. One can safely say it’ll be a Day 3 pick. Either in this 2021 draft or the 2022 draft. Yet players like him always generate interest from other teams. One because they’ve been productive in the past and two because they’re cheap. Miller is only 27 and due $1.21 million. A 5th or 6th round pick shouldn’t be seen as an unreasonable gamble on somebody like him.

Anthony Miller isn’t a bad football player. He’s had some really good games in his career. Games that gave people the impression he could be a legitimate 1,000-yard receiver. His stretch from weeks 11 to 15 in 2019 was a perfect example. Piling up 431 yards in just five games? He was cooking. Then he fell apart down the stretch and never seemed to recapture that form.

The Bears have grown tired of his inability to mature.

It’s been three seasons and he still hasn’t found any consistency. Last year was the final straw. Disappearing for entire games. Dropped passes. Bad routes. Poor decisions after the catch. Getting into fights after being explicitly warned not to. He refuses to learn. Nobody can say the team didn’t give him every opportunity to excel. Barring an unexpected final chance, he’ll try to reignite his career elsewhere.