Getty General manager Ryan Pace of the Chicago Bears talked about the team's plans heading into the trade deadline.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is leaving the door wide open when it comes to making a trade or two before the NFL’s trade deadline hits at 4 p.m. ET on November 3.
In an interview with WBBM Newsradio 780 before the Bears played their Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Pace was asked whether his team will be active before Tuesday’s deadline, and instead of saying something about how content he was with his current group of players, he said this:
“We’re always looking at ways to improve our team,” Pace said, via 670 The Score’s Chris Emma. “This time of year there’s so much constant dialogue with all the other teams. It’s constantly ongoing. I think if something presents itself to make us better, we’ll always talk through it as a staff. It’s no different this week. We’ve made several trades this season, and our aggressive mindset will be ongoing.”
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Will Bears Trade WR Allen Robinson?
One name that keeps coming up as a potential trade chip for the Bears is wideout Allen Robinson, who is playing under the franchise tag at $18 million this season. Robinson is coming off his two worst statistical performances of the season, catching just two passes for 16 yards Week 7 and hauling in three passes for 21 yards in Chicago’s Week 8 loss to the 49ers. A-Rob has just 26 catches for 271 yards and a score on the season, but he’s capable of far more, as he’s proven in recent years.
Robinson has been one of the team’s best offensive players over the last four years, accumulating two 1,000+ yard seasons and over 3,400 yards in that span. His name keeps coming up as a possibility for a trade because he wanted a long-term deal with the Bears and never got it, and he’s also one of few players on the team’s roster who could garner any kind of decent trade capital in return. A few trade proposals have the Bears landing a second-round pick for him, and if that’s actually offered by a WR-needy team, Pace should take it.
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Bears Insider Says Bears Will Be ‘Listening But Not Shopping’
One longtime Bears insider, Hub Arkush of Shaw Media, says he expects the Bears to be active — but not too active — leading up to the trade deadline.
“Sources are telling me the team is on the phone listening but not shopping, willing to move anyone for premium value but not searching for deals,” Arkush wrote on October 27.
Another name that keeps coming up as a trade possibility is defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, who is in the final year of his four-year, $48 million contract with the Bears. The soon-to-be-32-year-old is due $10.4 million this year, and the Los Angeles Chargers have been mentioned as a possible trade partner, as former Bears defensive position coaches Brandon Staley and Jay Rodgers are currently there.
Hicks is another potential trade chip, but if the Bears are truly going to have an “aggressive mindset,” as Pace says, the team could surprise some people. It won’t be long before we know if that’s the case — but considering their 3-5 mark, the Bears are more likely to do nothing than add players in the hopes of making a run that just isn’t feasible at this point.
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