There at least eight teams that should be blowing up Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles’ phone line at Halas Hall inquiring about what it would take to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But one team in particular is already popping up a bunch.
The Indianapolis Colts make sense as a potential trade partner for the Bears. This is a team with a need to fix their quarterback problem and a wild-card of an owner who always seems willing to go above and beyond to make something happen. And now, it looks as if they are hitting a “desperate times call for desperate measures” type of situation.
Colts GM Chris Ballard’s response to a question shared by Zak Kiefer is an eye-opening one:
Whatever it takes, ehhh?
*Looks suggestively in Indianapolis’ general direction*
The Colts would make for a fascinating trade partner for the Bears. They have a need at quarterback, appear to have the desire to move up, and own the No. 4 overall pick. Possession of that fourth pick would be a net win for the Bears. It would allow them to move back in the draft and add picks, while also not sliding too far out from being able to take a tip-top draft prospect. Ideally, one of Will Anderson (Alabama) or Jalen Carter (Georgia) is still on the board. But even a scenario where the best player on the board is a quarterback (such as C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young) could lead Chicago into a second trade-down scenario involving a quarterback. It sounds outlandish, to be sure. But the NFL Draft is so full of annual ridiculousness that I need to prepare for any and all possibilities.
What makes this scenario additionally interesting to me is that this isn’t the first time the Colts have been offered up as a possible trade partner. Even before the Bears had the No. 1 pick, one pundit predicted a Colts-Bears pick swap. In one of the first mock drafts to drop after the regular season’s conclusion, PFF’s Michael Renner projects Indy and Chicago trading picks with the Colts snagging their preferred QB. Along those lines, Nat Newell (Indy Star) presents a trade scenario in which the Colts send a draft haul (the 4th overall pick, a second-rounder, a 2024 first-rounder, and possibly another second-round choice in 2024 to the Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. The idea of having a top-5 selection and three (or more) additional picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts is alluring.
Oh … and did I mention that Ballard and Poles worked together in Kansas City? Because that feels like something worth mentioning. Perhaps they can lean on their pasts to cut a deal that makes sense for both sides.
And to think, this is just the beginning. The Bears have so much leverage here. Not only because they have the first overall pick, which means they essentially run the board based on what they do. But also because they can pit Colts and Texans (AFC South rivals!) against each other in their respective hunts for a top QB. And they could pit those two teams’ desperation against any number of other teams. This will be fun to follow over the next few months.