Chicago Bears Reportedly Have More Leverage With #1 Pick Than You Think

The Chicago Bears landing the #1 overall pick was totally unexpected. Be honest. Did anybody think after that big win in New England that it was remotely possible this team would end up holding the most coveted slot in the draft? Of course not. That was especially true because the Houston Texans were so bad. Then things got weird. Chicago went on a franchise record losing streak while Houston engineered two improbable victories against Tennessee and Indianapolis to reach 3-13-1. That allowed the Bears to steal the #1 pick. The buzz almost immediately began on whether GM Ryan Poles might trade it.

Adam Schefter thinks the Bears can get some great offers for the spot if they wish to move. It comes down to how the quarterback market looks near the end of March. If teams like Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Carolina haven't found solutions, it could be a mad scramble to get their preferred guy in the draft. Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns added another layer to this cake on their podcast. One overlooked part in this is the lack of certainty with this QB class. There isn't much agreement on who the #1 guy is. That lack of certainty could create confusion and drive the price up more.

The Chicago Bears can look to history for examples.

The last time the #1 pick was traded was in 2016. There wasn't much consensus on who the best QB was in that class. Some favored Cal standout Jared Goff while others like North Dakota State star Carson Wentz. The St. Louis Rams, who'd become infatuated with Goff, decided they didn't want to take the risk of Philadelphia, who sat at #2, getting him. So they put together a massive package to move up from #15 overall to #1.

A year later, it happened again. There wasn't much division between Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, and Mitch Trubisky in the eyes of evaluators. The Chicago Bears grew smitten with Trubisky. GM Ryan Pace feared somebody might jump ahead of him at #3 to get his guy. So he swung a deal with San Francisco to jump up one spot to #2.

GMs can do crazy things when they're afraid the quarterback they covet might be desired by somebody else. All Poles must do is feed the confusion whenever possible. Sooner or later, somebody will crack.