As we are slowly approaching the 2023 draft as it is in 2 months, there has been a lot of talk surrounding the Bears plan for the draft and how they will use the No. 1 pick. As I said in my last article, the Bears getting the No. 1 pick in the draft helped in creating a perfect scenario after the 2022 season. However, the Bears will most likely not draft with the No. 1 pick as they plan on trading the pick to a team that is desperate for a new QB and there are teams that will be interested in a trade. There are different scenarios for how the Bears trade the pick, so I will dive right in:
Scenario #1: The Colts
Colts receive: First Overall Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick
Bears receive: Fourth Overall Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick, 2024 First Round Pick, 2024 Second Round Pick, 2024 4th Round Pick, Michael Pittman Jr.
The Colts are seemingly the most obvious team that will want to trade for the Bears No. 1 pick as they have gone through a QB carousel for the past couple seasons with Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan under center. From the Bears standpoint, by trading the #1 pick with the Colts, you are still going to have a top 5 pick and another second round pick in this year’s draft where you can draft Will Anderson as well as more picks for 2024, and then you get a solidified WR1 for Justin Fields which could improve the wide receiver room for the Bears. I could also see Deforest Buckner included in this trade instead of Pittman, as there are many rumors in how this trade can go. To look at it from the Colts standpoint, they are in dire need of a QB and if they have the chance to trade up in the draft for Bryce Young, you better believe that they will do it. While the Colts will be giving a haul to the Bears, this would be a desperation move for the Colts who have not had “the guy” at the QB position since Andrew Luck. The Colts are one of the teams that have been discussed a lot when it comes to the Bears #1 pick, so this should not come as a surprise.
Scenario #2: The Texans
Texans receive: First Overall Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick
Bears receive: Second Overall Pick, 12th Overall Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick, 2024 First Round Pick, 2024 Second Round Pick
Like the Colts, the Texans are also one of the teams interested in trading for the Bears No. 1 pick as they are also desperate for a QB after the 2022 season and what looked like Davis Mills last season as the starter. From the Bears standpoint, this will give the Bears not only the second pick in this year’s draft, but also the 12th pick in the draft which gives them two first round picks. This could also lead to maybe even more trades for the Bears if they want to gain more assets by trading down, or they can definitely draft Will Anderson or Jalen Carter. While this helps the Bears tremendously, we have to look at this trade from the Texans standpoint. The Texans this year were one missed throw from getting the No.1 pick this year after beating the Colts with a 4th and 20 touchdown. The Texans still have the second pick and most definitely can draft C.J Stroud who is the second best QB behind Bryce Young in this year’s draft. In my eyes, I think the only way the Texans will do this trade is if they are 100000% sure that they do not want anyone to draft Bryce Young except them. The Texans and the Colts are most likely going to be participating in a bidding war for the #1 pick, so we will have to wait and see what the Texans plan is.
Scenario #3: The Titans
Titans receive: First Overall Pick
Bears receive: 11th Overall Pick, 2023 Second Round Pick, 2023 Third Round Pick, 2024 First Round Pick, 2024 Second Round Pick
This one comes as a surprise to me as I am writing this. The Titans are reportedly interested in trading for the No. 1 pick in the draft as they look to move on from Ryan Tannehil and Malik Willis does not look to be the future QB for the Titans. From the Bears standpoint, this trade will give the Bears a top 20 pick in this year’s draft, another second round pick, and more compensation for the future however I feel as though a player should be included in this trade because to move up 10 spots in the draft, it might even require more assets. From the Titans standpoint, this trade will give the Titans the chance to draft their QB of the future and move on from Ryan Tannehill after his storybook comeback in 2019. I personally see the Titans as a darkhorse team to trade for the #1 pick, but if we have learned something in the NFL, anything can happen.
Scenario #4: The Raiders
Raiders receive: First Overall Pick, 2023 4th Round Pick
Bears receive: 7th Overall Pick, Davante Adams, 2023 Second Round Pick, 2024 First Round Pick
This is a trade that I have been thinking about after the Raiders decided that Derek Carr will not be on the team next season. For the past couple of seasons, the Raiders have been in the rumor mill for different QBs over the years, with this year’s QB being Aaron Rodgers. From the Bears standpoint, this would be the craziest and most shocking scenario when trading the No. 1 pick. The Bears are not only going to still have a top 10 pick and compensation, but they will also be getting who I think is the best wide receiver in the league, Davante Adams. This will give Justin Fields his superstar WR1 that all Bears fans would drool over, and this would improve the Bears drastically. From the Raiders standpoint, they would be deciding to do whatever it takes to be able to build for the future and this would be a desperate move for them if they cannot trade for Aaron Rodgers. While this trade would be awesome to see as I would love for it to happen I see the Raiders as a darkhorse team to trade for the #1 pick as I see them signing or trading for a QB, and I believe they will make a strong push for Aaron Rodgers.
Who I believe will trade for the Bears No. 1 pick:
After going through these 4 scenarios, I believe that the Colts will ultimately trade for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Like I said, the Colts are desperate for a QB and I believe that they will make a desperation move to secure the QB spot. When looking at a team like the Texans, they still have the second pick in the draft and they can still take C.J Stroud, who is the second highest rated QB in the draft. For the Titans, it feels very unlikely that they will trade for the #1 pick in the draft as they would definitely have to give up way more than the offer that I thought of especially because they would be moving up 10 spots in the draft, and there are teams who will just have better offers than what they can offer so it just feels very much out of their reach to trade for the pick. For the Raiders, they will most likely try to acquire Aaron Rodgers this off-season or they will sign a QB this free agency and while they do have a top 10 pick, it seems unlikely that they will give up Davante Adams and picks for the #1 pick unless they are extremely desperate. In my eyes, I believe that the Bears will trade the #1 pick before draft day unless they want to weigh out all their offers but I believe that the Colts will win the bid for the #1 pick.
