Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles send a firm message to rest of the league on how they feel about two potential in-house trade targets
The Chicago Bears aren’t playing to just hand over any players this offseason.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson each took turns speaking on the podium and with the local media on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine with a hot topic being potential in-house trade options.
Two players were specifically discussed in wide receiver DJ Moore and quarterback Tyson Bagent, each for different reasons. Trading Moore would save the team $16 million in cap space and free the team of his remaining deal, while trading Bagent could give a team a potential starting quarterback.
Interest will be there for both players, but the Bears’ top decision-makers make it clear how they really feel about both players and it sends a firm message to the rest of the league.
Bears’ comments on DJ Moore and Tyson Bagent show they won’t be cheap for other teams
Johnson and Poles both made it crystal clear how they feel about both Moore and Bagent and what they bring to the organization. That doesn’t mean either player won’t be traded, but it does mean that they won’t be traded for cheap deals another team might try to make.
Let’s start with Moore. Given his current contract, teams will be weary in offering high draft capital to acquire his services despite his abilities as a potential No. 1 receiver for an offense. While his stats have declined in Chicago, the Bears still highly value him as a person and as a player.
“We want him here,” Poles said of Moore. “We thinking highly of him. He’s a great teammate and been productive consistently over the last couple of years that he’s been here. I have nothing but great things to say about him. But this is the time now where we have to look at all the different scenarios that will allow us to put the best team out there. I’ve talked about this before, there’s relationships there that make it really really difficult. He’s a guy we want here but we have to look at all the scenarios.”
To me, Poles is saying he’s aware of the advantages to trading more from a cap perspective, but he’s not willing to throw Moore out the window for the sake of throwing him out the building. If a trade offer doesn’t present itself the Bears like, Chicago can find a way to make things work with Moore.
As for Bagent, QB-needy teams have been calling about his availability with the idea that he would get the opportunity to have a starting role, something he doesn’t have in Chicago barring injury. It’s a tough position for the Bears to be put in because they value having a high-level quarterback but also want to do right by the player if there’s a better opportunity out there for Bagent.
But again, the Bears are taking a stance that it won’t be cheap if a team wants to try and make a deal to make Bagent their starting quarterback.
“I love Tyson,” Johnson said of Bagent. “That’s one that kinda pulls at your heart strings a little bit because he’s someone that you care about so deeply and he’s a helluva football player. At some point, you want to see him have a chance to do it himself. We’ll always do what’s best for our team and our organization. I do think there’s a lot of merit to having a strong number two quarterback, which he certainly fits that bill. I’m of the mind that he’s probably one of the best 32 in the NFL.”
Johnson and Poles are playing this perfectly. They know there’s trade interest for Moore and Bagent and the comments they made publicly show the Bears aren’t willing to hand over players for peanuts in return. If you want Moore or Bagent, you gotta pay up because the Bears are perfectly fine keeping both players in the building if that’s how it shakes out.
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