Should Chicago Bears have interest in Deebo Samuel?

It was recently reported that Deebo Samuel has demanded a trade from the San Francisco 49ers. While the Chicago Bears have made their plans for 2022 clear, there has to be a question about Samuel because he would fit into the plans well beyond this season. Fans are expecting the Bears to make a splash in 2023 free agency, but if that move was a trade for Samuel and it came early, would they just be killing two birds with one stone?

Why Chicago Bears might be interested in Deebo Samuel

I do not need to bore you with things you know about Samuel. What makes him a fit with the Bears is that he is just 26 years old. The team has not been paying 30-year-olds and players with big names but only a few prime years left.

Instead, the team is building around 25 and 26-year-old players hitting their second contract. So, Samuel does fit the timeline and the culture.

He also can fit the salary cap, too. We noted that the team sky high cap space in 2023 after taking this year to reset things and get straight with their books. Even if they extend Samuel this offseason, a hefty signing bonus can reduce his first-year cap hit.

The team could look at him as a big free-agent signing who will hit the books in 2023 but will be performing like a big salary player for Justin Fields in 2022.

Why Chicago Bears will struggle to land Deebo Samuel

The Chicago Bears have no draft capital. It is going to take a first-round pick to land Deebo Samuel, and likely more than that. The Bears pick 39th, which means they need to throw in a lot more than other teams would. Heck, even if the Jets do not throw in pick four or ten for Samuel, they still have the Bears beat with picks 35 and 38. Yes, they have four picks that beat the Bears’ best asset.

So, the Jets throw 35 and 38, and it makes it really hard for the Bears to even top that, and the Jets have yet to do anything with a first-rounder.

If the Bears would want Deebo Samuel, they would have to risk their first-round pick in 2023, and that does not seem likely for Ryan Poles. Poles lost his pick already this year, and the way that the roster looks, he will not know just how high that pick would be next year.

Ryan Poles would likely love Deebo Samuel, but if things went wrong, he could be changing the franchise with a top 10 pick in 2023, or he could see the 49ers use his top pick. It is too hard to see Poles jumping the gun, even though Samuel fits more into their timeline. The cost of a trade is a big hindrance.

The Bears would likely call and realize they are behind a few teams. They do not have the assets this year and are starting to risk too much dipping into next year. This is likely another bidding war that the team is sitting out.