Peter King buried the lede in his own farewell column.
The legendary NFL reporter announced his retirement on Monday in a lengthy piece for NBC Sports. Near the end of the article, King seemingly reported a bombshell about the Chicago Bears and their plans for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Peter King Thinks the Chicago Bears Will Trade the Top Pick
Until Monday, most reports and mock drafts indicated the Bears would keep the No. 1 pick in April’s draft and select USC quarterback Caleb Williams. And, somewhere along the line, Chicago would trade QB Justin Fields.
And all of that still could happen. However, King thinks Chicago will trade the top pick to another QB-needy team.
“I suppose the Bears are going to trade the top pick,” King wrote. “I know nothing, but that seems to be the way the wind is blowing.”
Could King be engaging in nothing more than pure speculation? Sure, but reporters of his stature rarely float that kind of information without having inside knowledge.
King suggested Chicago could use the pick to execute multiple trades: first sending it to the Washington Commanders for a package including the No. 2 pick, which then would be sent to the Atlanta Falcons for another significant haul.
“The Bears could keep Justin Fields (and should), and trade the first pick down once or twice, and build the kind of supporting cast a team needs to contend,” King wrote.
“Suppose GM Ryan Poles traded the top pick down one spot to Washington (which would take Caleb Williams), and got the second pick, a second-round pick and a 2025 first-round pick in return.
“Then suppose Poles traded the second pick to Atlanta at eight, and the Falcons picked one of the other quarterbacks. In return, Chicago gets the eighth pick, Atlanta’s second-round pick, and first- and second-round picks next year. … For moving down seven picks in the first round, the Bears could end up with nine picks in the first two rounds of the next two drafts. Instant infrastructure.”
Again, King really might not know anything. But as far as pre-draft NFL trade rumors go, that’s as juicy as it gets.
Top 3 Picks in NFL Draft Expected To Be Quarterbacks
Regardless of what the Bears do with the No. 1 pick, don’t be surprised if there’s an early run on QBs early in the NFL Draft.
“I think when it’s all said and done, it feels like, to me, that you’re going to have the three quarterbacks go one, two, three when we get down to it,” NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said last week in a conference call.
“Whether that’s New England taking one, or either them or Washington trading out and somebody coming up. It just feels to me, talking to people around the league, that seems to be the expectation.”
Those three quarterbacks likely will be Williams, UNC’s Drake Maye, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. The Commanders, who hold the No. 2 pick, seem destined to choose one of the highly touted signal-callers.
But the New England Patriots are an X-factor at No. 3. New England probably should stay where it is — or move up to the No. 1 spot — and select its next franchise quarterback, but Eliot Wolf and company surely will be presented with tempting trade offers.
“I think, obviously, they’ll do their homework on all the different options there,” Jeremiah said of the Patriots. “But to me, it would be tough to pass on a quarterback.
“You’re not guaranteed to be up here again. There’s no guarantee of what future years — what it looks like at the position. I think you’ve got three guys that are worthy of consideration there.”
KEEP READING: NFL Trade Rumors — Multiple Teams Interested in Sam Howell
As is the case every year, rebuilding teams are lusting for potential franchise-changing QBs. And this year’s class is as strong as any in recent memory.
That puts the Bears in an enviable position, and King expects them to capitalize on it.
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!