As the weekend is about to begin, most NFL fans are just going about their days, and looking forward to punching out to end their week. But then an NFL Trade erupts the NFL landscape, and the trade involved no other than the Green Bay Packers rival, the Chicago Bears.
The Bears have owned the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft that will occur at the end of April since the off-season began. With the Bears already having a franchise Quarterback in Justin Fields, there has been a multitude of rumors surfacing around the Bears trading this pick and it finally came to be.
Major draft shakeup 🚨 🚨 🚨
Sources say the #Bears are trading the No. 1 overall pick to the #Panthers in exchange for big-time compensation including multiple 1st rounders. Chicago loads up and lands at No. 9, while Carolina can draft its QB of the future. pic.twitter.com/DNvYMStoxd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2023
The Deal
The Bears traded the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for:
- 9th overall pick
- 61st overall pick
- Carolina’s 2024 1st round pick
- Carolina’s 2025 2nd round pick
- DJ Moore
The Bears received an absolute haul in return for their draft pick, receiving a pile of draft capital and a number one level Wide Receiver in DJ Moore. The pile of draft capital they received, should help fix a weak offensive line and a struggling defense. While bringing in a talented offensive weapon in Moore, should help the passing development of their Quarterback, Justin Fields.
Carolina wants a QB
Now with Carolina, they clearly put all their chips forward to Chicago in hopes of selecting their next franchise Quarterback. The pick could be a variety of names including Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or even athletic freak Anthony Richardson. Carolina has been unable to find the next face of their franchise since Cam Newton’s career fizzled out. The Panthers have a young talented defense but has a lack of offensive weapons. They traded their best weapon in running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers last season and now traded their second best weapon in DJ Moore to acquire the number one pick. So their new QB may not have any easy transition to the NFL.
The Future of the NFC
While both teams are more than happy with the deal they agreed upon. Green Bay Packers fans certainly are not. While the draft picks the Bears received are still in question what players they will become, the move made to improve this roster by General Manager, Ryan Poles is impressive. You have to give credit where credit is due and the Bears want to help surround Justin Fields as best as they can. The Chicago Bears are not messing around in hopes of making the NFC North division theirs for the future.
