Getty Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.
The Chicago Bears already traded for one six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver when they landed Keenan Allen over the offseason, and they could now potentially move him to get themselves another.
Davante Adams, who also has six career Pro Bowl appearances to his credit, has requested a trade from Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders, in kind, have let NFL teams know that they are looking for a second-round pick — plus at least one other asset — in return for their star receiver.
We should start by acknowledging that Chicago isn’t high on any early lists of potential trade suitors for Adams, and that teams like the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs ostensibly make more sense. However, a trade pitch for Adams that brings him to the Bears huddle is, at the very least, an interesting notion.
Davante Adams Can Offer Bears Upgrade Over Keenan Allen This Year, Beyond
GettyLas Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.
Chicago clearly desires high-level pass catchers for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. That’s why the team traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers just to take on the final year of Allen’s $80.1 million contract, which carried with it a salary cap hit of $23.1 million this season.
But then rookie wideout Rome Odunze fell into Chicago’s lap in the draft and the Bears selected him No. 9 overall. The franchise chose not to immediately extend the 32-year-old Allen, who has been injury prone over the past couple of seasons and has already missed two games this year with the same heel issue that cost him four contests in 2023.
Odunze can feasibly step into the role of WR2 next season alongside DJ Moore, and the Bears can simply let Allen walk and then spend the leftover money patching up what has proven to be a disastrous offensive line so far through Williams’ first four games under center.
But Moore and Odunze doesn’t sound nearly as good as Moore, Odunze and Allen — and it certainly doesn’t strike fear into opposing defenses the way that a trio of Moore, Odunze and Adams would in this season and beyond.
Adams hauled in 103 catches for 1,144 yards and 8 TDs last year — his first in seven campaigns without a Pro Bowl appearance and his first in four seasons without earning First-Team All-Pro honors.
Bears Have Requisite Assets, Cap Space to Trade for Davante Adams
GettyChicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has a history of trading second-round picks in blockbuster deals, as he has done so ahead of the trade deadline in each of his first two years in the job.
The first time he tried was actually for another wide receiver — Chase Claypool, then of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The deal was an absolute bust for Chicago and Claypool was elsewhere by mid-season 2023.
However, Poles also nabbed defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders, who the team quickly extended and who has become easily the Bears’ best pass rusher.
Chicago has two second-round picks in 2025, its own and one from the Carolina Panthers, which makes the team uniquely equipped to meet the Raiders’ asking price for Adams while still retaining a selection in round No. 2 next year.
And the Bears could also make the money work.
Acquiring #Raiders WR Davante Adams
2024 Cap/Cash
Now: $13.5M
Deadline: $8.6M
2025: $36.25M (non-gtd)
2026: $36.25M (non-gtd)
Spotrac explained via an X post Tuesday that any team trading for Adams right now would face a $13.5 million cap/cash hit, a number that would shrink to $8.6 million if the deal took place up against the November 5 deadline.
Beyond that, the rest of the money on Adams’ deal — while substantial at $36.25 million in each of the next two seasons — is non-guaranteed.
Chicago has approximately $7 million in cap space as of Wednesday morning, but could maneuver to open the rest of the necessary room in 2024 rather easily. Over The Cap also projects the Bears to have nearly $73 million in space in 2025.
That means that the franchise could afford to keep Adams on his current deal and would still have money to improve the offensive line, which is crucial for the team’s success whether Adams is in the huddle or not.
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Bears Trade Pitch Flips Keenan Allen for 6-Time Pro Bowl WR