The Chicago Bears are lucky enough to have two things: the first overall pick and a franchise quarterback. It is rare in the case that a team can secure both that they have all the power to do as they choose. With that said, the Bears have a lot of leverage to finesse teams into overpaying in order to get that pick as the consensus first-overall pick is thought to be a quarterback with multiple teams vying for the one they deem best.
Now, with that said, it is also important that the Bears don't miss out on their player they are targetting. This player could be someone we are expecting (Jalen Carter or Will Anderson). Likewise, this player could be someone we aren't expecting. It is crucial that the Bears don't miss out on an elite talent in pursuit of more draft capital.
A great team to trade back with in this scenario is the Indianapolis Colts. It is then expected that picks 1 and 2 go to quarterback-needy teams (Colts and Houston Texans). After that, the ball is still in their court to stick it and grab someone like Will Anderson, or trade back, given the recent scenario surrounding Jalen Carter. In this case I traded back twice.
As the draft started, I traded the pick to the Indianapolis Colts for a haul of picks. The trade is as follows:
- Indianapolis Colts receive: Round 1 (1)
- Chicago Bears receive: Round 1 (4); Round 2 (35); 2024 and 2025 1st Round Picks
Following that trade, I traded back again with the Carolina Panthers for more picks.
- Carolina Panthers receive: Round 1 (4)
- Chicago Bears receive: Round 1, (9), Round 3, (93); 2024 1st