Just like last season, the talk around the Chicago Bears is all about what they will do with the No. 1 overall pick. They are again faced with a quarterback conundrum, and it could cost another team handsomely to get them to change their minds.
?If someone is going to pry the No. 1 overall selection away from the Bears, they are going to have to pay — and pay a lot,? NFL Network?s Ian Rapoport wrote on February 10. ?Chicago would need a historic haul of draft picks and overall compensation to move off the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, sources say. In the words of one source, it would have to be ?crazy.??
Bears Seeking ‘Crazy’ Haul in Potential Trade for No. 1 Pick
QB or Not QB
They have their own experience to draw from. They passed on taking a quarterback early last season and seeing No. 2 pick overall C.J. Stroud log one of the best seasons by a rookie quarterback for the Houston Texans.
Chicago, of course, also passed on No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. But he was also not the prospect USC?s Caleb Williams is, hence the Bears? rumored stance of drafting the latter. For context, the Bears received wide receiver DJ Moore as well as the Carolina Panthers? first-round picks last year and this year for No. 1 last season. The latter pick has afforded them this current opportunity.
They also received second-round picks in both years. Rumored potential suitors for the pick include the Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, and even the Minnesota Vikings.
Whatever the Bears ask for the pick would likely be higher for a division rival.
Bears: Rival Hire Fuels Justin Fields-Caleb Williams Speculation
Bears Could Lose Leverage in Potential Trade
There are going to be some teams fixated on landing the No. 1 pick and Williams, like the Commanders. Williams is from the area and the team hired Kliff Kingsbury, his former offensive coordinator, to be their OC.
But the Bears still lost a bit of leverage. A new report says that the New England Patriots could look to trade out of the No. 3 overall slot.
?The Patriots also need a quarterback, but there are people around the league who believe they are open to trading the No. 3 selection, moving back in the draft and addressing the quarterback position in free agency,? ESPN?s Dan Graziano wrote on February 10.
That would take some of the juice out of the Bears? position, even if only slightly.
Timeline for Bears Decision Remains Unknown
We don?t know for sure when the Bears will make the final call on whether or not they want to take Williams ? or another prospect ? No. 1 or if they want to trade the pick entirely.
But we do know that they acquired the haul from Carolina on March 10 last year. That was four days after the conclusion of the NFL Scouting Combine which ran from February 27 through March 6.
This year, the combine runs from February 26 through March 4.