We Finally Learned Why The Bears Backed Out Of Chase Young Trade

When examining the pass rusher situation from the Chicago Bears’ perspective, it seems like a no-brainer that they’d go after Chase Young. The former #2 overall pick is 24 years old, just entering his prime. He’s back to doing what he does best: terrorizing quarterbacks. They have more than enough money to afford an extension. He fits their long-term rebuild model. Word is they were interested. However, at the eleventh hour, they pivoted to trading for his teammate Montez Sweat instead. It was an odd decision for many. While Sweat is a great player as well, he’s 27. He has plenty of good years left on paper, but not as many as Young.

It became even more confusing when the San Francisco 49ers secured Young a few hours later for a compensatory 3rd round pick, cheaper than the 2nd Chicago gave up for Sweat. Was GM Ryan Poles hoodwinked? No. As always, there were details behind the decision that hadn’t come to light yet. Former Bears scout Greg Gabriel shed light on what happened for Windy City Gridiron. He has it on good authority that the decision to back away from Young was entirely due to health concerns.

“Sunday on the Fox Pre-Game show, Jay Glazer reported that the Bears were no longer interested in acquiring Young. Being that Jay and I have been friends going back to his days as a Giants beat reporter, I sent him a text asking him what happened. He replied that the Bears couldn’t get all the pertinent medical information that would make them feel good about making a trade. Thus, they backed out.”

It’s hard to blame the Bears for the Chase Young decision.

They’ve been burned by players with injury histories several times in the past. Poles is noted for being very diligent about health information before making a decision. It is why he rescinded the contract offer to Larry Ogunjobi last season during free agency. Young suffered a catastrophic knee injury midway through 2021, tearing his ACL and patellar tendon. Such devastating setbacks can often have chronic long-term issues. The Bears wanted to be sure Young’s knee was structurally sound. Washington wasn’t willing to give them the information. So they pivoted to Sweat.

The price San Francisco paid reinforces this. There is no way Chase Young would go for that cheap if there were no health concerns. It looks like the 49ers intend him to be a short-term rental for the rest of the season. They don’t plan on paying him a new contract. Chicago isn’t the only team that has such reservations. The difference is San Francisco is in a position to view him as a rental. The Bears had to think long-term. Sweat still gives them some security, presuming they lock him up to an extension.