Should Bears trade back to prevent Vikings from taking QB?

The Chicago Bears aren’t the only team in the NFC North expected to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft. After the Bears draft Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, the Minnesota Vikings are expected to try and position themselves to draft Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy. Bears general manager Ryan Poles should prevent the Vikings from drafting a quarterback if that scenario presents itself.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has been rumored to trade up to No. 4 or 5 overall to draft his franchise quarterback of the future. If Adofo-Mensah successfully executes such a trade, there’s little-to-nothing Poles can do to prevent that from happening. But alternative scenarios see the Vikings sticking-and-picking their desired quarterback at No. 11. That’s where Poles can potentially intervene.

The Bears are scheduled to draft No. 9, two overall picks before the Vikings. If the Vikings haven’t yet made an aggressive deal to better position themselves for a quarterback, Poles should consider trading the ninth selection to a fellow QB-needy team looking to jump over Minnesota. This exact scenario came to fruition via a recent Bleacher Report projection.

We saw a similar scenario play out in the 2023 NFL Draft between bitter rivals. The worst-kept secret was that the New York Jets wanted to draft Broderick Jones to play left tackle. The New England Patriots traded their pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who leapfrogged the Jets for Jones. The Jets had issues at left tackle all season long as a result.

It’s worth acknowledging the Vikings may possess too much ammunition to stop what appears to be the inevitable. Adofo-Mensah recently acquired the 23rd selection from the Houston Texans to give himself two first-round picks. If the Vikings use their ammo to catapult themselves into the top-five, they’ll get their QB despite the Bears’ best efforts.

But Poles should prevent it from happening if he can.