Earlier this week, The Washington Commanders and their top wide receiver Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year contract extension following McLaurin sitting out of the team's mini-camp. The contract extension now ensures that another top receiver will not be reaching free agency next season as the Chicago Bears are expected to sign a top-level player at the position. New Bears' general manager Ryan Poles has unfortunately seen many elite wide receivers end up on new teams this offseason, as he has stood idly by.

Poles Has Yet To Be Proactive With An Extremely Active Receiver Market

Since the start of this offseason, several premiere pass-catchers have been traded to new teams or signed contract extensions with their current teams. Many of these players were projected to become free agents following the 2022 season. The Bears, following the trade of All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack, cleared up significant salary-cap space for the 2023 offseason as they are projected to have over 100 million dollars in cap space. The wide receiver free agent market for the 2023 season initially appeared to be a memorable one, but over the past five months has now dwindled down to nothing. Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, AJ Brown, and McLaurin were all receivers heading into the final year of their contracts that have either been traded to new teams this season or have signed contract extensions. The Bears have been hoping to add a top-level pass-catcher with second-year quarterback Justin Fields to help better Fields' chances of developing into a successful quarterback in 2022.

With an impressive list of receivers now unavailable for the 2023 free agency market, Poles needs to be proactive with the small list of receivers still projected to be free agents next offseason and who are upset with their current team. All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel and Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf are the two most notable players at the position still projected to reach free agency next year. Metcalf and Samuel are currently unhappy with their current contract situations with their teams, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Both players have missed their team's mini-camps recently and could potentially hold out during training camp, which would make both of them even more available for a potential trade. Samuel is coming off a terrific 2021 season, in which he recorded over 1,405 receiving yards and led the league in yards per reception with 18.1. With his impending free agency status following the 2022 season, the All-Pro receiver has requested a trade from the 49ers as the team has yet to make a significant contract-extension offer. Although Samuel is unhappy, it is in San Francisco's best interest to re-sign the wide receiver as he is their best player on offense.

Metcalf's situation is different as the Seahawks are expected to embark on a lengthy rebuild following the trade of All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. It wouldn't make sense for Seattle to spend significant money to re-sign the Pro Bowl receiver when the team is expected to be uncompetitive for the next several seasons. It would be in the Seahawk's best interest to trade Metcalf in return for several draft selections to help with their rebuild.

It Is In Poles' Best Interest To Acquire A Top-Level Receiver Now

With Samuel and Metcalf potentially available via trade right now, Poles needs to consider trading for either player. Adding a premier pass-catcher to pair with Fields and the Bears' best wide receiver in Darnell Mooney, would morph Chicago's offense into an explosive unit. Samuel or Metcalf, paired with Mooney, would give the Bears' young quarterback two 1,000-yard wide receivers to throw to. Poles acquiring either player would speed up Chicago's current rebuild while enabling the team and Fields a chance to be more successful this season. From a front-office standpoint, trading for either Samuel or Metcalf right now makes more sense for Poles, given what could happen from now to the 2023 free agency period. Either player could be traded to a new team and sign a contract extension reducing the talent level for the free agency market immensely. Additionally, Poles may have to overpay for a pass-catcher of lesser talent solely for the need of making a significant addition at the receiver position for the Bears.

The other issue the Bears' front office could face by hoping either player reaches next year's free agency is getting caught in a bidding war. Chicago will likely have the most cap space in 2023, and it may be in Samuel and Metcalf's best interest to negotiate for more money, knowing that the Bears will face more competition with an open free agency market, especially since it already known that they have a weakness at the position. Many fans and analysts argue that Poles and the Bears shouldn't risk giving away valuable draft selections to trade for a wide receiver, but the team is projected to use one of their top draft picks on a receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. The risk of drafting a player with that high level pick is that the player may not pan out to be successful. If Poles trades a high-level draft selection for Metcalf or Samuel, the Bears will have an already established player.

The Bears have clear intentions of adding a top-level receiver to their team next offseason, whether via free agency or the draft, but the market isn't cooperating with their plans. Poles needs to act now as he has the resources to execute a trade for an elite pass-catcher that would make his team significantly better immediately. This offseason has already shown that being stagnant is more costly than being proactive.