We know Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles likes to trade back in the NFL Draft and he may get two cracks at doing so in the first round on Thursday night thanks to the latest buzz surrounding a pair of quarterbacks.
Poles has traded back more than handful of times in his tenure, and while he has also traded up, Poles has done so far less, with only one in his history as general manager.
Poles credits the team’s quick thinking, or as he calls it, “agility,” for why he’s able to pull off the trades he has.
“If things start to shift and move, we’re agile enough to make adjustments,” Poles said when addressing the media Tuesday. “If that’s moving up, moving back, we’ll be ready for anything that comes our way.”
Bears could exploit Ty Simpson, Carson Beck trade buzz
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
We’ve heard a lot of rumors pertaining to Simpson being a first-round pick. ESPN’s Adam Schefter most recently reported that Simpson is drawing interest from the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. He also posits that Arizona could jump back into the first round from No. 34 to leapfrog New York and grab Simpson.
“The two teams that seem to be most interested in Simpson are the Jets and Cardinals,” Schefter wrote. The Jets hold the No. 16 pick in the middle of Round 1 and the No. 33 pick at the top of Round 2.
“The Cardinals hold No. 34 in Round 2, right behind the Jets,” he added. “If Arizona wants to leapfrog New York, it could not only land Simpson but also get the fifth-year option on his rookie contract by taking him in Round 1.”
While Simpson being a first-round pick wouldn’t be surprising at all at this point, Miami’s Carson Beck being a first-round selection would be a total shock because that hasn’t been floated at all throughout the pre-draft process.
Yet, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero isn’t ruling out such a shocking scenario because Beck has had a strong pre-draft process.
“And as multiple people I spoke to brought up again, given the fact that we’re only got 13 to 15 guys with first-round grades in this entire draft, regardless of position, don’t be 100% shocked if there is a scenario that somebody says, ‘I need a quarterback. I’ll even trade up into the bottom of Round 1 to get Carson Beck on Thursday night,” Pelissero said.
Say what you want about Beck being a first-round pick, the Bears might have a golden opportunity to make out like bandits in the first round if any team wants to trade up for Beck or Simpson.
Potential return for Bears trade down in Round 1
Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The two teams we’d have our eyes on for a trade up into the back end of the first round are the Cardinals and Jets based on their respective interest in Simpson. Maybe the Cleveland Browns consider a climb up from 39, but that would be very steep.
The Bears’ No. 25 pick in Round 1 is worth 720 points, per the Jimmy Johnson Trade Value Chart. The Jets’ and Cardinals’ selections are worth 580 and 560 points, respectively.
That means the Bears would get back at least a third-round pick from the Cardinals (265 points) on top of the second-rounder, and that price could increase if New York is bidding against Arizona.
The Jets don’t own a third-rounder in this year’s draft, so they’d have to dip into their 2027 stable of picks, which is cool for the Bears because next year’s draft is more loaded with talent. And, again, if Gang Green is bidding against Arizona, maybe the Bears can grab New York’s 2026 fourth-round pick, also.
The bottom line is this: the Bears could get themselves quite the haul for their No. 25 overall pick and still grab a good edge rusher or one of the top interior defensive linemen in the draft at the top of the second round.
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