Poles: Bears could get 2024, 2025 1st-rounders for top overall selection
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles believes the team can get 2024 and 2025 first-round picks in a deal for this year's first overall selection, according to Peter King of NBC Sports.
Poles told King he spoke with three teams at the NFL combine about making a deal and emphasized he wants to get a premier first-rounder in this year's draft.
"I believe in building something to sustain success for a long period of time," Poles told King. "To me, that's gotta be through the draft. This is just a chance to load up this team up with a bunch of opportunity and flexibility to do that. It's time for this organization."
Poles added: "This opportunity with the first pick, it feels like an opportunity to kind of heal some of the things that happened before and become a really good team. Everything feels right."
Quarterback dominoes will start falling shortly, with Derek Carr's, Aaron Rodgers', and Lamar Jackson's situations expected to be resolved before the draft.
If teams want to get ahead of the curve and make a move now for the first overall selection, Poles said it will cost them a considerable price.
"Should we do this before free agency? Or should we wait?" Poles said. "I don't know. That's what I've communicated (to teams). I could carry this all the way until we're on the clock the night of the draft. But then there's teams that want some certainty because, if I need a quarterback bad, should I do that now when some of these guys, like Derek Carr, are out there? To me, they've got to go so much more above to do it now.
"I'm not greedy with it. But they're gonna have to go above and beyond to close the door now."
The Bears selected quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 draft and seem to believe he's their future at the position. He flashed his potential last season, totaling 3,385 yards with 25 touchdowns.
Chicago is expected to hang onto Fields rather than draft a quarterback with the first overall selection.
"We've got to see it through," Poles told King regarding Fields' future in Chicago.
The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off on April 27.
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