Chicago Bears Insider Reveals Team Most Likely To Trade For #1

The wheels are in motion at this point. Everybody expects the Chicago Bears to trade the #1 overall pick. It would be a bigger surprise if they didn't. GM Ryan Poles sounds confident he can get a deal done. There are even rumblings that it may happen before the start of free agency. Demand for the pick is high. As always, it comes down to compensation. Poles believes he can secure at least a future 1st round pick in both 2024 and 2025. Or at least he said as much. It's clear he is making it known what the price is if somebody wants to pull him out of the top five.

Apparently, there is one team ready to make that push. Insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog made quite the information dump on the Irish Bears Show. He revealed Poles hopes to get a deal done before free agency and isn't afraid to move down far beyond the top five spots. He's interested in accumulating as many picks as possible. When it comes to teams ready to make a deal, he mentioned one during the show and again on Twitter a few hours later. It is the Carolina Panthers

The Chicago Bears likely have two packages in mind with Carolina.

If it's before free agency, then there is a strong possibility that the package will include a player on the Panthers' roster. Maybe edge rusher Brian Burns or defensive tackle Derrick Brown. Either would be an immediate help on the Bears' league-worst defensive line. Outside of that, we're likely looking at the #9 pick, a 2nd round pick in 2023, a 1st round pick in 2024, and a 1st round pick in 2025. That is close to the package San Francisco gave up going from 12th to 3rd in 2021 for Trey Lance.

Understanding the Panthers' perspective isn't difficult. Owner David Tepper saw multiple failed attempts to fix the quarterback position with veterans like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. New head coach Frank Reich experienced the same in Indianapolis with Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan. They're tired of half-measures. It is time to take a serious swing. They appear to have identified somebody in this class that can fulfill that dream. Who it is doesn't matter. They are close to giving the Chicago Bears what they want, by the sound of things.