ESPN2 minutes to read
The Chicago Bears have been approached by multiple teams about trading the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft this year, and Chicago is said to be “leaning toward” moving the pick, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bears have the best pick in a year when any eight to 12 teams could be looking to make a quarterback substitution,
Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1967, the #1 pick has been traded 12 times before the start of the draft. This last happened in 2016, when the Los Angeles Rams moved from No. 15 to No. 1 two weeks before selecting quarterback Jared Goff from Cal. It was only the second time in the last 22 years that the first pick was changed before the draft (the Atlanta Falcons went from second to Michael Vick’s first overall draft pick in 2001).
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has kept a steady hand in his approach to upgrading the Bears roster after the team went 3-14 last season. In January, he reaffirmed his commitment to quarterback Justin Fields, who the Bears drafted 11th overall in 2021, and said he would have to “wow” to draft a quarterback prospect in April. Alabama’s Bryce Young is expected to be the first quarterback taken.
“We have the flexibility if there are opportunities where if we can turn that into a lot of players who come and help us then we can do that,” the Poles said. “If it continues or is really selective with certain people, we can do that as well. I know my expectation, our expectation, is that we move the needle to be more successful. We can win some of these close games and bring in guys who can make an impact on this football team.”
Teams in need of a quarterback who fail to acquire free agency veterans such as Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and possibly Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson, if available, can look more closely at trading for a top pick.