One thing that makes the NFL offseason so fun is the rumor mill always kicks into high gear. Especially in regards to the draft. One would think the Chicago Bears wouldn't be as involved as other teams in this. Largely because they don't have any 1st round pick to speak of. Apparently that stops nothing because a monumental bomb of a rumor just dropped. One that would have an uncanny long-term impact on the franchise if true.
Dan Sileo, a former Miami Hurricanes standout who became a 3rd round draft pick in 1987, has been a notorious radio host for the past several years. His ties to the NFL are fairly considerable due to his playing days and being the relative of prominent New York Giants Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli. Even so, it's not like anybody would consider him an insider.
Nonetheless, he hatched a rather inflammatory tweet regarding the Cincinnati Bengals and the status of the #1 overall pick. Apparently they've been listening to possible offers about trading down with other teams. Among those calling?
Chicago Bears wouldn't actually do this, would they?
It sounds insane. How could a team with no 1st round pick that already made two prominent trades to acquire Mitch Trubisky and Khalil Mack think about giving up the massive package it would take to get the #1 pick? Not even Ryan Pace, aggressive as he is would do something that reckless. Then again let us not forget the letter he wrote to himself after the Trubisky move in 2017.
“MAYBE WE CAN MAKE STATUS QUO DECISIONS AND PLEASE THE PUNDITS, OR MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE PREDICTABLE AND EASILY ACCEPTED POSITIONS,” PACE WROTE. “OR WE CAN (EXPLETIVE) TAKE CHANCES AND BE BOLD AND BE GREAT. I’M NOT GOING TO LOOK BACK WITH REGRETS. I CAN’T DO THAT TO MYSELF. I CAN’T DO THAT TO THIS BUILDING. AND BOTTOM LINE IS YOU DON’T ACHIEVE GREATNESS IN THIS LEAGUE WITHOUT GREAT QUARTERBACK PLAY.”
That last line is critically important to remember in regards to this rumor. After watching the Super Bowl, it's clearer than ever that you can't reach the mountaintop without a great quarterback. Joe Burrow is arguably the best prospect to come out of college at that position in a decade. His success at LSU speaks for itself. A Heisman trophy winner. A national champion. The greatest single-season in terms of touchdown passes ever.
He's as close to a sure thing as a team can hope for at that position.
Would Pace sacrifice the next 3-4 years of 1st round picks to get what he might believe is the missing piece to the Bears' puzzle? Given where this team is at, don't for a second put it past him. The likelihood it happens is astronomically low, but it's not impossible.
