The Bears haven’t picked first in the draft since 1947, and that streak will continue. As expected, they traded the No. 1 pick for additional assets and are moving back.
The Bears agreed to trade the pick to the Panthers on Friday afternoon, a source said.
In return, the Bears will receive the Panthers’ No. 9 overall pick in next month’s draft plus Pick No. 61, a first-rounder in 2024 and receiver D.J. Moore. The Bears will also receive a second-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Moore becomes the Bears’ most accomplished receiver. In five seasons, he’s caught 364 passes for 5,201 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’ll join receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool.
Moore is under contract for three more seasons. In March, he signed a three-year extension that kicks in this year worth $61.884 million.
The move secures Justin Fields’ position as the Bears’ starting quarterback. There had been speculation that the team could draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick and trade Fields, an idea general manager Ryan Poles kept afloat to drive up trade offers, but that’s impractical now that they’ve traded down.
The last time a team traded the No. 1 pick was the Titans in 2016 when they sent it to the Rams, who chose quarterback Jared Goff.
The Bears picked linebacker Roquan Smith No. 8 overall in 2018, then didn’t have a first-rounder in 2019 or ‘20 because of the Khalil Mack trade. They were set to pick No. 20 in 2021, but traded up with the Giants to get Fields at No. 11 in a move that cost them their 2022 first-rounder.
