Most people expect the Bears to use the No. 1 overall pick to draft Caleb Williams, but on the off chance Chicago does the wrong thing, the Falcons should be there to help them along the way.
With new leadership in the building, I do expect the Bears to make the correct decision, but a “historic” trade package has made its way into headlines, and the Falcons should gladly acquiesce.
“Chicago would need a historic haul of draft picks and overall compensation to move off the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, sources say,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote. “In the words of one source, it would have to be ‘crazy.'”
If we consider what the Panthers traded the Bears last year, it would take a ‘crazy’ haul for the Falcons to move up from the No. 8 pick. In March 2023, Carolina traded their first-round (No. 9) and second-round (No. 61) picks, their 2024 first-round pick (currently No. 2) and receiver D.J. Moore to Chicago.
In the NFL, clubs are only allowed to package picks three years out, so the most the Falcons could offer is three first-round picks, but that doesn’t mean it would be enough to convince the Bears to move off the top pick.
More than likely, the Falcons or another inquiring team would have to include several second and third-rounders along with the three first-rounders. Even that isn’t going to be enough, in my opinion. Here’s my guess at what it would actually cost the Falcons to trade up to the No. 1 overall pick.
Falcons receive: 2024 first-round pick (No. 1)
Bears receive: 2024 first-round pick (No. 8), 2024 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick, 2025 first-round pick, 2025 second-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, Kyle Pitts or A.J. Terrell
That’s what would get the conversation started, and I know some fans might think I’m crazy, but I guarantee the actual price is closer to that than anything you’ve seen from a national pundit. The fact is the Bears don’t want to trade the No. 1 overall pick, or at least they shouldn’t want to. For the Falcons to pique their interest, it’s going to have to be a Godfather offer, one that Chicago can’t refuse.
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Photographer: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire
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