NEWSLETTER
The NFL trade deadline is a week away, and while the vibe leading up to it is different than, say, Major League Baseball, they are similar at their core in that players on under-performing teams are targeted by contenders and unproven players with upside gain the intrigue of teams looking to rebuild.
With that in mind, we’re staying tuned to the rumor mill, which churned out a juicy one recently. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Cardinals All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson asked to be traded by the league’s Oct. 30 deadline. Peterson is one of the league’s best cornerbacks and someone who is so good, we hoped Mitch Trubisky would stay away from him when the Bears and Cardinals hooked up in Week 3.
There aren’t any clear ties linking the Bears to Peterson, but you can never have too many cornerbacks. If you take into consideration the last two performances by the team’s pass defense and Prince Amukamara’s recent injury history, I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the front office to do its due diligence to see what the asking price to acquire the All-Pro cornerback would be – though you have to be conscious of what this season is and is not (and I’m not committing in either direction on that just yet).
In any case, you can’t get what you don’t ask for in the world of NFL trades. Take the Raiders for example, who extracted a first-round pick from the Cowboys for wide receiver Amari Cooper. Then again, if a struggling Cooper can fetch a first-rounder, what could someone playing at Peterson’s level bring back in return?
So what are the odds of Peterson getting moved to Chicago? Eh … not likely. It doesn’t appear as if the Bears have the draft capital (they don’t have a pick in the 2019 NFL Draft until Round 3) to snag Peterson and I’m not sure a rebuilding club like the Cardinals would be interested in a player swap. But to be fair, I’m not convinced Peterson is getting sent away before the trade deadline anyway (unless things get really ugly).
Ex-NFL cornerback (and current league analyst) Bryant McFadden was informed by a source that Peterson’s ideal landing spot was the New Orleans Saints. But the Saints acquired cornerback Eli Apple from the New York Giants on Tuesday, which could ultimately be a sign Peterson isn’t going anywhere.
Of course, that isn’t going to keep us from keeping tabs on the rumor mill and what transpires on the market. The NFC North is loaded with teams who can make a case for being contenders and any move could impact the Bears’ playoff chances.
