The Chicago Bears have mostly kept their NFL trade deadline rumors centered around defensive players. This is hardly a surprise, as the unit could use some help both up front and in the secondary. However, the first big name to drop this week was 8-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson. He went to the Seattle Seahawks after a Hall of Fame career in Indianapolis. Unsurprisingly, multiple teams were involved in the pursuit. However, by far the biggest surprise, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, was the Bears.
People couldn’t understand why general manager Ryan Poles would even bother doing that. Chicago already has two high-quality guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. It is difficult to comprehend why the team would spend that kind of draft capital for a player who would unseat one of them. It’s not like either has played poorly. Thuney remains as steady and dependable as ever. Jackson is a key part of the team’s run game. So why would the Bears even entertain this idea?
Acquiring Quenton Nelson brings up two possibilities.
The first is that head coach Ben Johnson is uncomfortable with the Bears’ current situation at left tackle. Theo Benedet has been starting for weeks since Braxton Jones injured his knee. Ozzy Trapilo has been working his way back onto the field, but clearly isn’t back to his old form yet. With both left tackle options being less than ideal, maybe Johnson felt he had a solution by acquiring Nelson. Slide him into that left guard spot and move Thuney outside to left tackle, similar to what the Bears did in the playoffs against Los Angeles.
Another possibility is that Poles and the coaches are getting indications that Thuney might be preparing to retire. Remember, he turns 34 years old in November. He’s played 11 seasons in the NFL and has accomplished everything there is to accomplish. It is hardly difficult to envision him hanging it up after this season. Adding Quenton Nelson, who is three years younger, would’ve helped them maintain stability on the interior. It would’ve been a more aggressive version of the Garrett Bradbury trade earlier this year.
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We’ll likely get an answer after the season.
If Thuney does retire, that will explain everything. Maybe in the end, the Bears just sensed the opportunity to add another stellar piece to their already strong offensive line. It is the type of problem that head coach Ben Johnson would relish solving. Instead, they will have to face Nelson on Monday Night Football. Besides, it’s important to remember the guard will be a free agent in 2027. Unless Thuney does retire, they wouldn’t have the cap space to keep him anyway. Poles has usually preferred to trade for assets the team can control for a couple of years.
Nelson was very much a rental intended for a team that feels it is on the cusp of a Super Bowl. The Bears just didn’t have the assets to justify that kind of swing. Not for a guard, anyway. Even one as good as him. If nothing else, this report does raise questions about the position. It could look considerably different next season, depending on what Thuney or Jackson decides to do.
