Bears GM Ryan Poles is surprisingly open about value for No. 1 pick

Will the Bears trade their No. 1 pick or won’t they? If they do, general manager Ryan Poles thinks Chicago can get a king’s ransom in return.

There is no greater debate heading into the 2023 NFL Draft than whether the Chicago Bears will trade their No. 1 overall pick. Other minor controversies, such as Alabama quarterback Bryce Young’s height, have already been settled. He’s short. Everybody already knew that, moving on.

The Bears find themselves at a crossroads in their franchise history with two unpredictable paths ahead of them: trade the most valuable pick in football come April, or trade young, up-and-coming quarterback Justin Fields. Per recent reports, the team is more seriously considering trading the pick, just leaving the door barely ajar for a potential Justin Fields trade.

What could a No. 1 pick trade look like?

Robert Mays of The Athletic estimated that the return for the No. 1 pick (assuming the trade partner doesn’t hold a top-five pick in 2023) would include a 2023 second-rounder, a 2024 first, and 2025 first.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles himself was refreshingly candid about his estimated value of the No. 1 pick and spoke with certainty that he can get a 2024 first-rounder and 2025 first-rounder having discussed the compensation with three teams at the NFL Combine this past week.

https://twitter.com/peter_king/status/1632614858867851266

Bears GM Ryan Poles is feeling pretty good about a potential No. 1 pick trade in 2023

Poles stopped short of revealing exactly which three teams he spoke to about a No. 1 pick trade, leaving the rest of the league to speculate who will finally pull the trigger and trade up for that coveted selection.

The ongoing whispers favor either the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts forking over the firsts and snagging their quarterback of the future, short king Bryce Young. In any case, the Bears seem confident as ever in trading their top pick, especially after Poles sat down with NBC Sports’ Peter King and discussed more specific logistics of a trade.

Poles told King that he still wants to get a “blue player,” a.k.a a premier first-rounder, this draft, possibly limiting the Bears’ trade partners to teams holding a top-ten pick.

It appears as though Poles has enough information to make a trade before the start of the NFL Draft, and he said he wasn’t sure when exactly he wanted to finish the deal.

"“Should we do this before free agency? Or should we wait? I don’t know. That’s what I’ve communicated [to teams].”"

With free agent Derek Carr and reborn-out-of-the-darkness vigilante Aaron Rodgers roaming the waters, interested suitors have varied options when it comes to finalizing their tenuous quarterback situation.

Poles, who has the No. 1 pick and the upper hand, will be ready for whatever the future may bring.