The Chicago Bears pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers, sending the No. 1 pick in exchange for two first-round selections, two second-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore ahead of free agency.
It was the biggest move of the offseason for general manager Ryan Poles, and a potentially franchise-altering one. But the Panthers weren’t the only team that made an enticing offer for the top selection.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Poles received four “good” offers for the first overall pick. But it was far from a smooth process, which included some teams changing their minds.
There were teams that showed interest and backed out. Some changed their mind on the compensation they were willing to offer. At one point, Poles thought he was going to have everything wrapped up in one day, only to have the process pushed.
While there might’ve been an opportunity to trade back twice inside the top 10, Poles found a trusting trade partner in Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer and landed quite the haul to move back eight spots in the draft.
“The noise around it was crazy compensation, but I think at some point when you feel comfortable with what you’re receiving, you pull the trigger,” Poles told ESPN. “Sometimes you wait too long and things move on. Trades are hard. When you’re a part of them and they pop up and you’re having those conversations, they’re not comfortable conversations, especially when you’re moving on from a player.
“So the longer that you’re talking about it and thinking about it, you can start to sway a little bit. So when we hit a position where I was comfortable, we were good with it.”
Not only did Poles set his team up for the present — landing a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver in Moore for quarterback Justin Fields — but he also put them in a favorable position in the future with additional picks.
