The Chicago Bears may be beginning to feel the fallout of Ian Cunningham not being name the Jacksonville Jaguars' general manager this offseason.
The Bears' assistant general manager was believed to be a finalist for the opening, with at one point, there being an expectation that he was going to get the job. Instead, the Jaguars passed over Cunningham and in doing so, the Bears lost the opportunity at gaining an additional third-round pick in 2025 and 2026.
While Poles has a checkered history with using third-round draft picks in the draft, that additional draft capital may have come in handy for a pursuit of Trey Hendrickson. The Cincinnati Bengals have granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade this offseason, and the asking price would have been an ideal situation for the Bears had Cunningham landed the Jaguars' job this hiring cycle.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared what the Bengals are seeking in a trade of Hendrickson.
"People I’ve spoken to believe Cincinnati wants either a first-round pick or a strong Day 2 package to ship Hendrickson, who will command well above $30 million per year on a new deal," Fowler reports.
Had Ian Cunningham landed a GM job, the Bears would be in a sweet spot for a Trey Hendrickson trade
Considering the Bears already have two second-round picks in this year's draft class, having two third-round draft picks may have put them in the driver's seat for a trade for Hendrickson. Under that scenario, it's likely that Ryan Poles would have been more likely to pull the trigger on a trade, considering the Bears would still have a pick in each of those rounds. As it stands, it's still difficult to envision the Bears making the trade given the draft capital they have already used in their trades earlier this week.
Short of a trade for Hendrickson, it continues to seem that the Bears may be planning to address their need for a pass-rusher by forming a reunion with Khalil Mack. Mack was heavily featured in a Bears' social media post on Friday, igniting speculation that his return is in the works.