Bears Could “Conceivably Trade Back Twice” in the 2023 NFL Draft
There is already a long-standing belief that the Chicago Bears plan on trading the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. But one league reporter believes the alluring idea of a double trade-back could happen. And wouldn’t that be a dream?
Heavy.com’s Matt Lombardo comes away from the Senior Bowl hearing that Bears GM Ryan Poles could trade back TWICE ahead of the draft:
Some league sources here for the Senior Bowl suggest that the Bears could conceivably trade back twice if Poles can manufacture a smokescreen that Chicago is interested in a quarterback that a team such as the Houston Texans are intent on targeting, moving to pick No. 2 — potentially for multiple first-round picks, and sliding down again to either pick No. 4 (the Indianapolis Colts), or No. 5 (Seattle Seahawks) and still happily select a player they’d have been thrilled to choose No. 1 overall.
The possibility, alone, is like music to my ears.
Lombardo not only shares what he is hearing about the Bears possibly making two trade-backs, but he also offers up potential trade-back options: The Texans, Colts, and Seahawks are name-checked as possible suitors with eyes on the No. 1 overall pick.
Simply mentioning multiple teams being in the hunt is a goldmine. Two division rivals in Houston and Indianapolis jockeying to acquire the first pick was already a dreamy situation. Adding the Seahawks as a new contender in this mix makes the plot a little juicier. Moving forward, pitting the three against each other would make for an ultimate best-case scenario. And one that makes it easy to lay out multiple trade backs.
Hear me out:
- Bears trade back with the Texans. Going from No. 1 to No. 2 by making Houston realize how much the division-rival Colts were going to give in order to get their guy is the move here.
- Bears trade back with the Colts. Going from No. 2 to No. 4 by telling Indy that Seattle was looking at the quarterback they had eyes on could push owner Jim Irsay to go into full riverboat gambler mode and risk it all.
- Bears trade back with the Seahawks. With the Colts already ahead of the Seahawks, the Bears could dangle the No. 2 pick in Seattle’s face. Pitching the Seahawks on upping a Colts offer could lead to some fun trade discussions. Especially since Seattle owns the 5th and 20th picks in Round 1 and a total of five top 100 picks. The Seahawks are a fun trade partner to chop it up with now that I think of it.
And let’s not rule out a mystery team. Follow me for a moment. Imagine the Bears trading with the Texans, then the Colts, and then a third team. We might as well dream big, right?
What if the Bears get to No. 4 and can use what they know about the Seahawks and leverage that against a team that might want to jump them in the draft order? It seems like a long shot, sure. I’ll admit as much. But nothing is truly unbelievable in the modern era of a league that constantly has me mindful of expecting the unexpected at any given moment.
And to think, the number of trade partners continues to grow with each passing day:
Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog floating that two teams have already begun talking shop with the Bears in terms of a trade for the first overall pick is interesting. Hughes is an old head on the blog block and has been good about sharing pertinent rumors to the point that they’re worth discussing. Moreover, that neither the Colts nor Texans is it further piques my interest. Maybe the Seahawks are sliding through with offers. Perhaps the Raiders, Panthers, Titans, or Jets could be in the mix. One team I can’t rule out in this matter is the Falcons. Because if anyone would do an unthinkable and unprecedented trade-up, it might be a front office that currently employs Ryan Pace.
Hey, now. Don’t roll your eyes at me for that last one. I’m just saying that the options are multiple … and growing. And I’m here to entertain all of ’em.
