The Chicago Bears have been approached by several teams about whether they’re willing to trade the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and they would be “willing to” trade the pick, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
The Bears own the top pick in a year where between eight and 12 teams could be looking to make a quarterback change.
Since the merger between the AFL and the NFL in 1967, the first pick has been traded 12 times before the start of the draft. The last time that happened was in 2016, when the Los Angeles Rams went from No. 15 to No. 1 two weeks before selecting quarterback Jared Goff. It was only the second time in the past 22 years that the first pick changed hands before the draft (the Atlanta Falcons went from No. 2 to No. 1 to select Michael Vick in 2001).
Bears general manager Ryan Poles in January reaffirmed his commitment to quarterback Justin Fields, who the Bears drafted 11th overall in 2021, and said he should be “blown away” to draft a quarterback in April.
Bryce Young of the University of Alabama is expected to be the first quarterback selected.
Teams that need a quarterback and are unable to attract a free agent like Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and potentially Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson if they are available, could consider making a trade to get the first one. choice.
