Getty Joe Burrow will likelt be the No.1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have not had a truly dazzling player at the quarterback position since Sid Luckman, whose final season was back in 1950. In fact, the Bears have had just two quarterbacks make the Pro Bowl in franchise history: Jim McMahon in 1985, and the team’s current QB, Mitchell Trubisky, who went last year. Trubisky did not take that next step in his third season, and he will enter his fourth under immense scrutiny. Put simply, if Mitch doesn’t play well from the start, he’ll be benched.
The Bears are widely expected to address the quarterback position this offseason, particularly considering both current backups, Chase Daniel and Tyler Bray, will see their contracts expire. With this defense, the team is built to win now, and the latest rumor to surround the team and the quarterback position is a major curveball.
Sports radio host and former NFL player Dan Sileo tweeted out Friday night that he was told the Cincinnati Bengals are listening to offers from five teams for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft: the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers — and the Chicago Bears.
.@Bengals I have been told are listening to offers for the #1 pick in the @NFL Draft from :
1. @Chargers
2. @MiamiDolphins
3. @Broncos
4. @ChicagoBears
5. @Buccaneers
Burrow to the Bears is the longest of long shots. But if Bears GM Ryan Pace could pull it off, he might finally silence everyone who has been criticizing him for choosing Trubisky over Mahomes and Watson. But is it even possible? Technically, yes. Though it’s highly unlikely, here’s what it would take for the Bears to move up in the 2020 NFL Draft in order to draft Joe Burrow.
Option 1: Trade a Megastar Like Khalil Mack
GettyChicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack
Mack will be entering the third year of his six-year, $141 million contract. He carries a $26.6 million cap hit in 2020, and it would take someone of his stature to tempt a Bengals team that has gone on the record saying the organization has no plans to trade the No. 1 pick. But plans change, and Bengals’ director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, has also noted that the team has not finalized anything surrounding their No. 1 pick. Sileo later tweeted that the Bears were shopping Mack around in search of draft picks, and that the team was “listening” to offers for the All-Pro linebacker.
.@ChicagoBears will be shopping @FiftyDeuce ..asking price..2#1s…2#2s..or a combination of 1/2/3 with # of picks..they are listening! 🐻🐻
A trade up for Burrow would require more than just a superstar like Mack, however. The Bears just re-signed All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson to a four-year $58 million deal, so it’s unlikely they would move Jackson. A player like Kyle Fuller or Allen Robinson — one of the team’s best players — would have to be sacrificed. Maybe even two. Sileo has yet to cite his sources, but NFL insiders and members of the media rarely do name names.
Option 2: Give Up Tons of Draft Picks
The Bears have a first round pick again in 2021 for the first time in two years, and if they want to move up to get the first pick this year, they’ll have to trade next year’s No. 1 away, and likely another No. 1 the following year. And that’s in addition to more draft picks and a superstar like Mack or Robinson.
Burrow would be an ideal fit in Matt Nagy’s offense. He can run, throw accurate, throw deep and accurate, and he can read defenses with apparent ease. The Bears also have two picks in the second round this year, so it’s likely one or both of those would have to be sacrificed, as well.
Joe Burrow is what Ryan Pace thought Mitch Trubisky was.
While the Bears’ organization has yet to comment, and the likelihood is the Bengals will take Burrow with the No. 1 pick, this is still an intriguing thought for a fan base starved for a superstar quarterback to consider. Still, the Bears have such little draft capital to offer, this seems like a mega-reach at best.
@DanSileoShow @Bengals @NFL @Chargers @MiamiDolphins @Broncos @ChicagoBears @Buccaneers Homie, the Bears have no ammo to get to 1. Anyone can take a call…
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