The Chicago Bears will either use the #1 pick or trade it. That is seeing things from the most simplistic perspective. Where it gets complicated is finding which team can make an offer that will compel GM Ryan Poles to move. He won’t give away the most valuable spot in the entire draft for cheap. There is no shortage of possible contenders. Every discussion starts with Houston and Indianapolis. Both teams need quarterbacks. Both sit in the top four, and they’re division rivals. This creates the perfect recipe for a bidding war.
That doesn’t mean they’re the only ones. Las Vegas is moving on from Derek Carr. Atlanta can’t be sure Desmond Ridder is their guy. Carolina is done with the Sam Darnold experiment. All three can’t be ruled out as options. The same goes for Tennessee at #11 since the Ryan Tannehill experiment is over. However, there might be one other to watch out for. A team that is hiding in plain sight.
The Seattle Seahawks.
The Chicago Bears must keep the line open to the northwest.
#1 – Position and ammunition
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Seattle holds the #5 overall pick. That alone grants them perfect positioning to make a move up the board. Poles would find it appealing because it still gives him a reasonable chance to land one of the top non-QB prospects. Where it gets more interesting is that the Seahawks also have the 20th overall pick and two 2nd round picks courtesy of the Russell Wilson trade. They have all the ammunition they need to give Chicago what they want without sacrificing any future picks. One must never underestimate teams that know they can move up if they want to.
#2 – Quarterback questions
Geno Smith was easily the biggest surprise of 2023, posting the best season of his career and making the Pro Bowl. He threw for 3400 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions through his first 13 games. Here’s the problem. He seemed to slow down the stretch, throwing seven TDs and four interceptions. Had opponents figured him out? Smith is a free agent this March and turns 33 years old in October. Initial projections suggest Seattle would have to commit around $39 million per year in a new contract. Are the Seahawks prepared to pay that kind of money to a guy who doesn’t have much of a prime left and isn’t what anybody would confuse for elite?
#3 – An aggressive GM
Lastly is the man in charge. GM John Schneider has run the Seahawks’ front office since 2010. In that time, he has developed quite a reputation for working the phones in trades. He’s not afraid to be bold. His deals for Percy Harvin, Jimmy Graham, and Jamal Adams proved that much. If he gets the sense that any of these quarterbacks can be the long-term replacement for Russell Wilson, then he won’t have any qualms about coming up to get them. All the Chicago Bears would have to do is ensure they get a package they can live with. It may come down to whether 71-year-old Pete Carroll is prepared to start fresh with a rookie.
@Russell if I was a GM I would never give away all my picks to move up to #1. Unless maybe Peyton Manning had a son coming out.
I don’t see this happening. Carroll seems to like Geno. Trading a top five and a top twenty for an unknown doesn’t sound like something he would be for. And maybe, judging by this season, Russell Wilson isn’t quite as talented as we all thought. Kinda like Belichick and Brady but this time the coach was right.
Reality is we have to have a trade partner. Everyone is saying “we should trade with…”. 1) are THEY willing to make that trade. (ask yourself if you were the GM from that team, would you make that trade? If the ‘price’ is too high, the GM from other team is gonna say “nah. we’ll take our chances at X#”. With 3 QB’s being seriously discussed, a team doesn’t HAVE to have the #1 overall pick. Reality is.. probably Indy… 4 to 1 plus their 2nd and 3rd round picks. @4 they still get the 2nd choice of QB. That… Read more »
If the Bears were win now, the Raiders trade would make sense, but they are a couple years away. Adams is 30 years old and on a huge contract and the Bears would give up the chance to get Carter or Anderson if they traded down to 7.
I think the bears should trade the #1 overall draft pick to the LA vegas raiders for the #7 and second round #2 and Devante Adams because that still gives us the 7th overall pick and we can still do something with that and on top of that fields will have a good receiver to throw the ball to