(670 The Score) After completing a trade of the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers, Bears general manager Ryan Poles referenced the twists and turns of the process seeking a deal. Now, there's more clarity to what he meant.
The Bears considered a multi-trade scenario in which they would've moved from No. 1 to No. 2 overall in a deal with the Texans and then dealt the No. 2 pick to the Panthers to move down to No. 9, Poles told Peter King of NBC Sports. In that scenario, Poles indicated that Chicago would've ended up with more draft capital, including holding three first-round picks in 2024.
Instead, Poles finalized the trade with the Panthers that netted the Bears the No. 9 overall pick, dynamic receiver DJ Moore, a 2024 first-round pick and two second-round selections.
“I thought there was an opportunity to do something historically pretty cool with a trade from one to two and two to nine,” Poles said. “That had potential to add more draft capital this year, and then the possibility that you’re sitting on three ones in the following year. That had my attention. But my gut told me to trigger on it now. At the combine, I thought those quarterbacks did an outstanding job in their interview process. A lot of teams felt really good about some of those guys, but as you get further away from the combine, maybe there’s a bad pro day or something that turns teams off.”
Part of why Poles was compelled to strike the deal with the Panthers early rather than waiting on the potential for multiple trades down was because of the addition of Moore. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Poles explained that was the type of “booster” that he was seeking to feel comfort in the deal.
The Bears had three players from the Panthers considered trade “boosters,” including the 25-year-old Moore, Poles said.
“The booster was the player that would come with it,” Poles told Sports Illustrated. “For sure, a known talent that I was gonna get, if it pushed me outside of a certain value bucket. If nine pushed me two spots out of where I thought I could be 100% sure I was gonna get a blue-chip player, the player that was going to be thrown in was going to have to enhance our roster enough to make me feel comfortable with going to that next level in the value system.”
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