4 differences from the Chicago Bears trade for Montez Sweat and Chase Young to 49ers

There is going to be a lot of debate about the Chicago Bears' decision to trade for Montez Sweat for a while. First, the team is buying at 2-6 and adding a player at the end of his contract. Second, they could have had Chase Young but elected for Sweat instead. There are going to be people on both sides of this.

The reality is that the Bears traded a second-round pick, potentially around pick 40 for Sweat, while the 49ers traded a third-round pick, potentially closer to pick 90 for Young. They are both in the same contract status, but Young is about three years younger. What are the differences that caused the change in price?

4. The Chicago Bears are more committed to Montez Sweat in the long-term, the 49ers have a rental

The Chicago Bears bought, but it is clear that this is a long-term move. Ryan Poles had a bad free agency period, and teams rarely let players with the caliber of Sweat make it to free agency. So, Poles figured that he would rather trade for someone now and then pay them what he would have wanted to pay them in free agency rather than hoping they make it to free agency only to see the franchise tag applied or something like that.

So, for the Bears, it is a long-term play. For the 49ers, this is a run at the Super Bowl. They have the roster, but it hit a lull with three straight losses. They have been at the doorstep in recent years and needed to get over the hump. If Chase Young leaves in free agency, they will be just fine. Teams may have anticipated that Young is more likely to leave via free agency of two, which is why Chicago had to pay more, knowing they have the longer-term asset.