Chicago Bears Offseason Thread (the tank must payoff)

[WrigleyField 22]

Taking a break from QB click bait:

 

Inching closer to new CEO?

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Atlanta has a need and a pick and at least some in the front office with favorable views of Fields

I have been floating that idea for weeks. Neither front office has responded to me. Yet.

[raw]

I don't think we should necessarily take a volume day 3 approach as necessarily indicative of a overall volume approach. Lot of teams have had success with volume mid-late pick approach to compensate being much more agressive early.

 

TBD.

 

(which isn't to say he isn't going to trade down once, but how far is a question, and I wouldn't necessarily expect multiple trade downs. He's gonna want a blue chipper at what hopefully will be his only time in the top 10)

 

I was just using last year's Day 3 trades as evidence that Poles knows they need multiple players. I don't expect him to add 9 guys on Day 3 again. But I think he will use the same approach now with upper level talent. Last year, he was throwing horsefeathers at the wind. This year, a trade down would be building the top of the roster, long term.

But just using other teams actions as an example, early round pick treatment isn't necessarily congruent with late round treatment.

 

And frankly he needs less players now. The bottom of roster building has gone *okay*. He still needs to get a few stars. Unless he's trading for assets to in turn trade back for vet stars, I'm not super confident he'll go into crazy pick asset acquisition mode. There's still a pretty big difference from top 10 to next 10.

 

I don't agree he needs fewer players now. But I wasn't trying to imply that he's looking to add quantity like last year. He's obviously going to want to add quality players. But the key is that "s". He has 1 quality player if he stays at 1. The next pick isn't going to be until the mid-to-late 50s. The best way to get multiple quality players is to have a quantity of early picks. The best way to get a quantity of early picks is to trade the most valuable one.

[Soul]

Taking a break from QB click bait:

 

Inching closer to new CEO?

Admittedly I don't follow executive-level sports figures much, but he has a ton of NFL experience, has expanded the B1G, scored a record TV haul, and helped get the Vikings their new stadium.

 

Seems like a great move to me.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Does he need fewer players? The vast majority of guys he brought in sucked and I don't particularly want them back

[UMFan83]

Umm so this is interesting

 

[WrigleyField 22]

Does he need fewer players? The vast majority of guys he brought in sucked and I don't particularly want them back

The back end young guys he added were an upgrade from what he had a year ago. Plus he has a bajillion cap dollars. They will be able to fill out depth without any requirements on that first pick.

 

Feels like my point maybe is being missed though?

 

One trade back : reasonable bet

 

Multiple trade backs? No idea. But 1 back to 4-9 is still gonna get you a lot. I don't think he needs multiple trade backs to get a couple extra high-ish picks. At some point there is a diminishing return on a team with few star potential players. They can find opportunity for good starters in FA. Increasingly the only way you get stars is to draft or trade for them. Higher up, better chance of stars.

 

This would also be in the context that the next logical

[WrigleyField 22]

Umm so this is interesting

 

I feel like a third rounder should get it done.

 

I could be way off.

[WrigleyField 22]

Okay, apparently he has a NTC. That could help tamp down his market.

[raw]

No interest in Hopkins for me. 31 year old WR (next time he takes the field), who wants a new contract. Yeah, count me out on trading anything of value for him and paying him a bunch of money thru his mid 30s.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Umm so this is interesting

 

I feel like a third rounder should get it done.

 

I could be way off.

4th, maybe 5th with his age and contract expectations

[WrigleyField 22]

No interest in Hopkins for me. 31 year old WR (next time he takes the field), who wants a new contract. Yeah, count me out on trading anything of value for him and paying him a bunch of money thru his mid 30s.

Really comes down to contract expectations for me. If it's basically guaranteeing his 23/24 and tacks on some new unguaranteed for his age 33/34 at a lower base, I'm okay with that level of risk I think (dependent on draft comp required)

[raw]

No interest in Hopkins for me. 31 year old WR (next time he takes the field), who wants a new contract. Yeah, count me out on trading anything of value for him and paying him a bunch of money thru his mid 30s.

Really comes down to contract expectations for me. If it's basically guaranteeing his 23/24 and tacks on some new unguaranteed for his age 33/34 at a lower base, I'm okay with that level of risk I think (dependent on draft comp required)

 

Yeah, I just don't see any way all of that stuff lines up. Plus, there's a greater than 0 chance he starts falling off as soon as next year as WRs tend to fall off a cliff after 30.

[Bertz]

I don't love the idea of trading for anyone except maybe Tee Higgins. He's a legit stud and young enough that you can sign him to a mega extension and he should be highly productive through all of it. But I feel like everyone else who's potentially available is either old enough to give you doubts or I question how impactful they truly are.

[raw]

I don't love the idea of trading for anyone except maybe Tee Higgins. He's a legit stud and young enough that you can sign him to a mega extension and he should be highly productive through all of it. But I feel like everyone else who's potentially available is either old enough to give you doubts or I question how impactful they truly are.

 

Yes. This! Saw a tweet that said they should trade a 3rd for Hopkins then get an extra 1st from trading down this year and use on Marvin Harrison Jr., even if you have to trade up next year.

 

Not only would you be trading a 3rd for a WR, after trading a 2nd for Claypool, but now you want to potentially take a WR 1 the following year, maybe even giving up multiple 1sts.....but if you want Hopkins because "Justin needs a #1" and you still need Harrison Jr next year, then maybe Hopkins ain't the guy you thought he was.

 

I'm all about getting weapons. And I know the Eagles gave up a 1 for AJ Brown after using a 1 on Smith. But they didn't do it also after trading the highest possible 2nd on Claypool, nor did they have a Mooney already in house. And I understand guys will be out of contract soon (Claypool, potentially Hopkins) but feels like overkill maybe, when you don't have an offensive line, or a defense.

[WrigleyField 22]

WR market might get flooded and be in for correction?

 

[ChiCubsFan]

I don't love the idea of trading for anyone except maybe Tee Higgins. He's a legit stud and young enough that you can sign him to a mega extension and he should be highly productive through all of it. But I feel like everyone else who's potentially available is either old enough to give you doubts or I question how impactful they truly are.

 

Yes. This! Saw a tweet that said they should trade a 3rd for Hopkins then get an extra 1st from trading down this year and use on Marvin Harrison Jr., even if you have to trade up next year.

 

Not only would you be trading a 3rd for a WR, after trading a 2nd for Claypool, but now you want to potentially take a WR 1 the following year, maybe even giving up multiple 1sts.....but if you want Hopkins because "Justin needs a #1" and you still need Harrison Jr next year, then maybe Hopkins ain't the guy you thought he was.

 

I'm all about getting weapons. And I know the Eagles gave up a 1 for AJ Brown after using a 1 on Smith. But they didn't do it also after trading the highest possible 2nd on Claypool, nor did they have a Mooney already in house. And I understand guys will be out of contract soon (Claypool, potentially Hopkins) but feels like overkill maybe, when you don't have an offensive line, or a defense.

 

Agree with most of what you’re saying. But I think the assumption here might be that Claypool doesn’t work out. You can’t allow the sunk cost for Claypool to stop you from getting a WR in the ‘24 draft if that’s what you need. There’s a lot of unknowns involved here that I don’t think it’s really worth caring about now. Get Hopkins for a 3rd rounder if that’s a possibility, and acquire as many day 1/2 ‘24 picks as possible. Then figure out how to use those picks to address whatever needs are your biggest 15 months from now.

[gflore34]

I wonder if we'd hear more in the media about the lack of support around Justin Fields if he wasn't black. Preseason - Poles gave Justin Fields no help, being set up for failure, season is played, despite an incompetent offensive line, he improves on his numbers from last season, post season - he's terrible, not the answer, Bears should trade him. Is it because, out of necessity and, to keep him from sustaining a career ending injury, Fields used his running ability? I think Getsy knows that type of offense is not sustainable, and it'll go away once the Bears have an OL capable of pass blocking for more than a nano-second. Why isn't this ever mentioned?

[David]

[WrigleyField 22]

Damn David you're quick.

[David]

Damn David you're quick.

 

That's what she said

[CubinNY]

I wonder if we'd hear more in the media about the lack of support around Justin Fields if he wasn't black. Preseason - Poles gave Justin Fields no help, being set up for failure, season is played, despite an incompetent offensive line, he improves on his numbers from last season, post season - he's terrible, not the answer, Bears should trade him. Is it because, out of necessity and, to keep him from sustaining a career ending injury, Fields used his running ability? I think Getsy knows that type of offense is not sustainable, and it'll go away once the Bears have an OL capable of pass blocking for more than a nano-second. Why isn't this ever mentioned?

Media in general, and particularly in sports media, nuanced reporting is difficult to do well. It's a bottom line type of reasoning that doesn't take into account context. Having said that, he really needs to improve his short and midrange passing accuracy if he has any chance at success. Maybe that is a function of all the stuff you mentioned and he will show he can do it. But he has to get better.

[minnesotacubsfan]

How, exactly, does one place themselves in the upper level management of multiple sports leagues/conferences/teams, and do it repeatedly?

[minnesotacubsfan]

How, exactly, does one place themselves in the upper level management of multiple sports leagues/conferences/teams, and do it repeatedly?

[gflore34]

I wonder if we'd hear more in the media about the lack of support around Justin Fields if he wasn't black. Preseason - Poles gave Justin Fields no help, being set up for failure, season is played, despite an incompetent offensive line, he improves on his numbers from last season, post season - he's terrible, not the answer, Bears should trade him. Is it because, out of necessity and, to keep him from sustaining a career ending injury, Fields used his running ability? I think Getsy knows that type of offense is not sustainable, and it'll go away once the Bears have an OL capable of pass blocking for more than a nano-second. Why isn't this ever mentioned?

Media in general, and particularly in sports media, nuanced reporting is difficult to do well. It's a bottom line type of reasoning that doesn't take into account context. Having said that, he really needs to improve his short and midrange passing accuracy if he has any chance at success. Maybe that is a function of all the stuff you mentioned and he will show he can do it. But he has to get better.

 

Without question he needs to improve on those aspects of the passing game, I'm certain if you asked him that's the first thing he'd mention.