Following the selection of Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears had their eyes set on wide receiver Rome Odunze from Washington with their next pick.
However, following the release of NFL Draft: The Pick Is In, sights and sounds from the Bears' war room on draft night revealed that Ryan Poles was looking to trade up to No. 8 with the Falcons to ensure he got his guy.
Instead of taking the deal, Atlanta declined and took their supposed quarterback of the future: Michael Penix Jr., which came as a shock to many.
The Chicago Bears tried swapping picks with the Falcons for Rome Odunze but Atlanta turned it down
The proposed trade was a pick swap, so Chicago would give up No. 9 for the Falcons' No. 8, while Atlanta would also receive a future fourth-round pick. The deal was similar to when the Bears traded with Philadelphia last year, drafting Darnell Wright and gaining a 2024 fourth-round pick.
The #Bears were open to trading a future 4th to the #Falcons to move from 9 to 8 to secure Rome Odunze.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 14, 2024
Seems like Atlanta wasn't interested. The Bears still got Odunze.
But this feels noteworthy after Atlanta lost a future 5th this week for tampering.pic.twitter.com/cB2kAn7fmO
And with the Bears having a clear reason not to draft a quarterback, given their Caleb Williams pick to start the draft, it was a head-scratching decision not to take the extra pick to move down one spot with a team that had no clear intention to take their guy.
Now, there's a belief that Atlanta thought the Chicago Bears would trade the pick with another team that already inquired about the pick and needed a quarterback. Due to hindsight, it's now clear that wasn't what the Bears were planning to do.
Ryan Poles had his eyes set on Rome Odunze from the jump and was willing to make that happen, even if it cost him extra. However, with the guidance of Ian Cunningham and the rest of the Bears' brass, Poles sat as still as he could, awaiting the announcement of who the Falcons were taking with the No. 8 pick.
And with Atlanta being as high as they were on Michael Penix Jr., the Bears ended up with the result they wanted without losing any additional draft picks.
Had they traded that fourth-round pick, Chicago might not have drafted Austin Booker, a rookie who's seen to be getting some significant playing time this upcoming season.