Why did the Chicago Bears trade the number 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft?

There had long been speculation that the Chicago Bears would deal the first overall pick that they were granted after finishing last season with the worst record in the league. Few could have fathomed, however, just what kind of returns they would get for doing so.

What did the Chicago Bears get for their No. 1 pick?

When the news broke back in early March that the Bears would be trading their No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers, shockwaves were sent around the league. Indeed, it’s not very often that we’ve seen such a move made throughout the history of the NFL - only 13 times to be precise. Yet, it’s got to be said that as shocking as it was, it wasn’t necessarily surprising with the Bears having apparently put their backing behind quarterback Justin Fields who despite their abysmal season, was a breath of fresh air. The thinking appears to have been to build around him and that they did.

In return for their coveted pick, the Bears received a whole lot from the Panthers. Firstly, there were first-round picks in both the 2023 and 2024 Drafts. Then, there were second-round picks in the 2023 and 2025 Drafts as well as wide receiver DJ Moore. To be clear, this trade will have major repercussions on the upcoming Draft such that it’s hard to say at this time just how big a deal it is. On the other hand, trust us when we say it’s a big deal. What we can say for certain is that the Bears have a lot of Draft capital to work with which means the idea of building around Fields suddenly becomes more doable

Why did the Chicago Bears trade the No. 1 pick

If it wasn’t clear before, then let’s put it this way: this deal was about building a team around Justin Fields in an effort to compete in the here and now. As we said, Fields was a bright spark for an otherwise awful team during the 2022-23 season. With their shrewd move, the Bears have maintained their spot inside of the top 10 of this year’s Draft, while simultaneously adding a first-round pick for next year’s Draft. On top of that, they also got a 2nd round pick this year, as well as one for 2025. Lastly, there is the already established wide receiver in the form of DJ Moore who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards three times in five years despite playing with sub-par QBs. While it may be a stretch to call Moore elite, he’s a ‘just add water’ type of player in terms of his capacity to hit the ground running once given an opportunity. In the end, perhaps the question isn’t why did the Bears trade their pick, but rather ‘why not?’