3 Potential Trades the Bears Could Make with the No. 9 Pick

Death, taxes, and the Chicago Bears selecting Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They’re all certainties. Barring some unforeseen, catastrophic red flag in Williams’ medicals or his Top 30 visit with Chicago, nothing will change this pick.

However, the Bears have one more pick in the first round: their own, the 9th overall selection. What the Bears will do with this pick is a true mystery. GM Ryan Poles has done an excellent job of setting himself up to go multiple routes with that pick. He could take one of the top receivers, offensive linemen, or pass rushers, and I don’t think many fans would be upset.

Personally, I think a trade-back is the most likely and desirable course for Poles. He only has four picks going into this draft, and the Justin Fields trade only netted a conditional 6th-round pick in 2025. While it’s not as necessary as in previous years for Poles to have a lot of bites at the apple, I would imagine he’d still like to accumulate at least a couple more.

What would a trade for the 9th overall pick look like? That depends on how the board falls and which teams come calling. There are several quarterback-needy teams heading into this year’s draft and some intriguing quarterbacks who could still be available after eight selections.

Let’s look at some potential trade partners and what the trade might entail. For help figuring out trade compensation, I’ll refer to the trade value chart at Drafttek.

Minnesota Vikings

It’s no secret that the Vikings are looking for a trade partner in the Top 10 after trading with the Houston Texans to acquire an extra first-round pick in 2024. They want a quarterback badly, and it’s widely believed they have their sights set on Michigan’s JJ McCarthy.

There’s been a lot of buzz about McCarthy, but I can’t imagine the buzz being real enough that the Vikings trade all the way up to five or even three overall to get him. I think it’s likely that McCarthy will be there when Chicago is on the board. What would the Vikings have to give up to move ahead two spots?

After the pick swap, only 100 points separate the two picks, so I would have the Vikings sending Chicago both of their fourth-round selections, which would total 121 points. However, a division rival should have to give up a little more, so I have them throwing in a third-round pick in 2025.

It would not be a huge gain for Chicago, but it’s not bad for only moving back two spots. Remember, the Bears only got a future fourth-round pick last year when they traded back one spot in the draft, and that pick became Keenan Allen.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos’ trade for Russell Wilson ended up being a terrible failure that will haunt them for at least two more years. However, now that they’ve moved on from him, they must find a suitable replacement. Like the Vikings, there’s some speculation that they could move up in the draft for a quarterback, potentially McCarthy.

They are just one spot behind the Vikings, so the price would be similar. I’d think a trade with the Broncos would include their third and fourth-round selections in this year’s draft, plus a sixth-round pick in 2025. However, should the Broncos and Vikings both try to trade with Chicago, a bidding war could drive these trade packages up.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders recently signed Gardner Minshew to compete with second-year quarterback Aiden O’Connell, but neither of these players is a franchise quarterback. Picking 13th overall, the Raiders are in a great spot to swoop in and snag an intriguing rookie quarterback without having to give up much.

Let’s make this one a little interesting. I’ll have the Bears send the Raiders the ninth overall plus the 75th overall pick, a value of 1,565 points. In return, the Raiders send the Bears the 13th overall plus their second and fifth-round picks, a total value of 1,642. In this scenario, the Bears only net one extra pick, a fifth-rounder, but they turn their third-round selection into a second-round selection, 31 spots ahead of where they would pick next.

Unfortunately, the Bears will not be able to receive a “haul” of picks like they did in 2023. However, some crafty maneuvering with the ninth overall pick by Poles should net them at least a couple of extra selections, which could then be used in another trade. The possibilities only grow from there. Plus, by only trading back a few spots, Poles would still be in line to select a blue-chip prospect.