If the Chicago Bears are to get a sizeable market for the No. 1, they need to see how the veteran landscape evolves via free agency and trades. Depending on where the biggest names go, it will have an impact on which teams are interested in finishing at #1 overall. Many pundits and insiders believe GM Ryan Poles will keep the phone lines open and keep them busy for months to come. However, real movement is not likely until late March. Then the veteran market should be mostly populated.
Nobody can say for sure how things will develop. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr decided to put together projections of how he sees things breaking. In his estimation, this is exactly the scenario the bears should be cheering for.
- Tom Brady – retiring (has since been confirmed)
- Aaron Rodgers – Stays with Packers
- Derek Carr – Signs with Washington
- Jimmy Garoppolo – Signs with Miami
- Lamar Jackson – Stay with Ravens
- Geno Smith – Stays with Seahawks
- Daniel Jones – Stays with Giants
The most important meaning of this is that none of the top options ended with a team in the top 10. Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Carolina failed to win big names. That means they’ll all have more desperation to pick a quarterback in the draft. It’s obvious that at least one of them would be willing to pay the high price to get the guy they want.
The Chicago Bears need something else to make this work.
You need the top quarterbacks like Bryce Young and CJ Stroud to blow one or two of these teams away in practices and interviews. You have to make someone fall in love. If and when that happens, the fear sets in. What if someone else feels the same way about that quarterback? You could reach him before us. Then the phone calls to Halas Hall get intense. Poles can weigh the offers carefully. As soon as he gets one that he thinks is impossible, he can pull the trigger.
Nothing is set in stone. One of those quarterbacks could always do something unexpected. Still, all indications are that the Chicago Bears have a strong list of teams interested in the No. 1. It depends on how much they offer and how far down the Poles would be willing to go. Everything can happen. When there is a trade, Smart Money says it convenes a few weeks before the draft between late March and early April. Until then, follow the quarterback workouts.