Bears Unload Nick Foles, Add Young ‘Bully’ WR in Realistic Trade Proposal

Laviska Shenault

Getty Laviska Shenault Jr. is the subject of trade rumors.

Finally: A trade proposal that both makes sense logically and also benefits the Chicago Bears.

In his April 25 column for Bleacher Report, Maurice Moton came up with what may be the best and most realistic trade proposal for the team in recent months. In Moton’s proposal, the Bears would send veteran quarterback Nick Foles in addition to their 2022 fifth-round pick (No. 148 overall) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for third-year wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.

Foles makes sense as a backup for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville for many reasons, primary among them his knowledge, experience, and his Super Bowl-winning history with new Jags coach Doug Pederson (they won it all together with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017). Shenault is someone Jacksonville may be looking to trade, according to ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, and Moton thinks the Bears “should stand at the front of the line” as a trade partner — particularly considering their recent issues at the wide receiver position.

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Byron Pringle Arrest May Deepen Bears’ Need at Receiver

A primary reason Moton is urging the Bears to kick the tires on a Shenault trade is that Chicago’s top free agent acquisition at wide receiver, Byron Pringle, was arrested on April 23 and charged with two misdemeanors: reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. Pringle could be due for a suspension, among other possible punishments, so he remains a question mark more now than ever.

“New general manager Ryan Poles must add more talent to the position group,” Moton reasoned. “Chicago doesn’t have a first-round pick, but it has three Day 2 selections. While Poles could use one or more picks on a wideout to complement Darnell Mooney, Shenault would come in as a known commodity. At his young age, he’s a better version of Pringle.”

In two seasons with the Jaguars, Shenault has caught 121 passes on 179 targets for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 227-pound wideout was held out of the end zone for the entirety of his 2021 campaign, and his 10 drops last year are a concern, but the Bears need wide receivers, and adding Shenault could be the ultimate low-risk, high-reward situation for them.

He’s young (he turns 24 in October), talented and affordable. Shenault has two full years of his rookie deal left, and will have cap hits of just over $2 million this year and $2.4 million in 2023, per Spotrac.

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Trading Foles at the Same Time Would Be Great for Chicago

A former second-round pick for the Jags in 2020 (42nd overall), Shenault would give the Bears a weapon for QB Justin Fields without losing too much draft capital. It would also help Chicago unload Foles, who general manager Ryan Poles admitted the team is actively shopping. The veteran QB recently shared pictures of himself on vacation with his family during the team’s voluntary veteran minicamp, so Foles seems to know his days are numbered in the Windy City.

Shenault could also still develop into a quality wideout. When he was entering the draft in 2020, NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein noted Shenault “offers explosive playmaking potential.”

Zierlein also called the young wideout “a phone-booth bully who’s able to body up and create late windows while securing throws with vice-grip hands.”

That sounds like something a Bears offense that ranked 30th out of 32 teams in passing last year could use, and if Chicago could unload Foles in the process, all the better.

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