The Chicago Bears have traded the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft to the Carolina Panthers for a package that includes wide receiver DJ Moore, according to multiple sources.
In the deal, the Bears are also getting the No. 9 overall pick, the 61st overall pick, a first-rounder in 2024 and a second-rounder in 2025. The move seems to set up Carolina to take their franchise quarterback and loads the rebuilding Bears up with draft picks.
The full details of the @Panthers and @ChicagoBears blockbuster deal. pic.twitter.com/qjEJMyD07L
— NFL (@NFL) March 11, 2023
Since finishing last in the NFL and receiving the first overall pick, there were immediately talks that Chicago wanted to trade down from their top spot. Drafting Justin Fields with their first-round selection in 2021 meant the Bears had no interest in taking QBs Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson, the expected top picks in this year’s draft.
The Panthers, on the other hand, have struggled to gain stability at quarterback ever since Cam Newton‘s final year as a starter in 2018, rotating through names such as Kyle Allen, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. With those five QBs — plus a short return stint for Newton in 2021 — Carolina became the only team to throw for more interceptions (71) than touchdowns (63) over the past four seasons. The only No. 1 pick in the team’s history is Newton, who won MVP in 2015 and led Carolina to the Super Bowl.
Last season, Chicago finished 3-14 behind a bottom-five offense and defense, yet Fields progressed mightily in his second year. He became the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, setting the franchise record for single-season rushing yards by a quarterback. He helped the Bears lead the league in rushing yards, yet they were last in passing.
The addition of Moore gives Fields a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver, as he caught 66 passes for 888 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns in 2022. The 25-year-old also has three 1,000-yard receiving seasons in his five-year career. In contrast, the Bears’ top receiver last season was Darnell Mooney, who missed the last five games and finished with 493 receiving yards.
Two off-seasons ago, Carolina tried trading for Matthew Stafford.
Last off-season, they tried landing Deshaun Watson.
And today the Panthers traded up and put themselves in position to draft the QB they want.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2023
Carolina finished 7-10 last year using a combination of Darnold, Walker and Mayfield, the latter of which the team released after Week 13. They fired head coach Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start and replaced him with former Colts coach Frank Reich this offseason, who happened to throw the first touchdown pass in Panthers history.
Chicago now has four picks within the first 70 of the draft, already owning the No. 55 and No. 65 overall selections before this trade to add No. 9 and No. 61. They also have approximately $75 million in cap space to build their roster, the most in the NFL according to Spotrac. They have 10 picks total to work with in general manager Ryan Poles’ second offseason with the team.
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1634352704515457024?s=20
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