With the Bears owning the number 1 overall selection in the 2023 Draft, it has been a huge debate on who is going to get their QB. The Texans at 2, Colts at 4, and even a few NFC south teams have all been linked to the number 1 overall pick that the Bears have. There are some talents to be had in the draft this year at QB as well. Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson among others have all been touted as possible franchise changing talents. The real question is, is it worth trading up though? Many teams have traded up to “get their guy” and most of the time it has been mixed results. In fact most of the teams that have traded into the top 5 or for a pick in the top 5 have drafted a guy that has barely played or is no longer on that team. Lets take a look at all the teams who traded into the top 10 to get “their guy”.

We will start with the good. These are the picks that worked out for the team and have continued to work. The Chiefs acquired Patrick Mahomes at number 10 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. This trade required the Chiefs to move up from 27 and trading that pick, a 3^rd rounder that year, and their 2018 first round selection to the Bills. A rather low asking price for a guy who is being mentioned as the heir apparent to Tom Brady as the greatest QB ever. Speaking over the Bills, they moved up in that 2018 NFL draft from 12 to 7 and grabbed their guy Josh Allen. They sent the 12^th overall selection and 2 second round picks to Tampa to do so. Both trades ultimately have worked out amazingly for these teams. Unfortunately, that is pretty much where the good news ends.

There is a long track record of trading up to get your guy and that person never living up to the value that was paid to acquire him. Names like Sam Darnold (1^st rounder, three 2^nd rounders), Josh Rosen (a 1^st, 3^rd, and a 5^th), Mitchell Trubisky (1^st, two 3^rd rounders, and a 4^th), Jared Goff (two 1^st rounders, two 2^nd rounders, and two 3^rd rounders), Robert Griffin III (3 picks), Blaine Gabbert (2 picks), Mark Sanchez (2 picks and 3 players), and the biggest bust of them all Ryan Leaf (3 picks and 2 players) all were traded up for and ultimately fizzled out or were plain bad. Only Goff, Gabbert, and Sanchez had any real success to speak of and all 3 were promptly traded away, completely collapsed, or both. I feel like I am missing one…….

Oh yeah the most recent one of these trades involved the 49ers moving up to get Trey Lance. The 9ers moved up from 12 to 3 in a trade with the Dolphins for a guy who has started 3 games for them since they drafted him. The 9ers gave up 3 first round picks over 3 years and a 3^rd for Lance. The reason I put this one by its self is simply because the 49ers are the only trade like this that I think really was for the right reasons. One could argue that the Chiefs trade for Mahomes fits here as well and I will tell you why. Both the Chiefs and the 49ers had rosters that were arguably a QB talent away. Alex Smith had carried the Chiefs to multiple Playoff appearances but ultimately couldn’t get to the promised land. The 49ers had done the same, even making the Super Bowl with Jimmy Garoppolo. Both Smith and Garoppolo had short comings that the team couldn’t overcome. Smith lacked arm talent. Garoppolo couldn’t stay healthy. Now the 49ers trade hasn’t worked out yet and a lot of people do not think it will, but that is not the lesson here.

The lesson is that trading up to get a QB without having a roster who can take advantage of that QBs perceived talent while on a cheap rookie deal is absolutely not worth it. Mortgaging your future for a QB you will not be able to take full advantage of due to the lack of talent is probably the worst decision any one can make. Yet come draft day in late April, someone will have moved up to the top selection giving the Bears significant draft capital to do so. The only team that benefits from someone trading into the 1^st selection is the Bears, plain and simple. Let the history above be a warning. The Jags had to wait 10 years after trading up to get Gabbert before landing Trevor Lawrence. The Jets still Haven’t found a QB since Sanchez took them to the playoffs. Washington is still searching for a QB. The Bears, Cardinals, Rams, and Eagles all had to take another QB within the rookie deal of the guy they swung and missed on. Trading up for a QB is a fools errand and teams need to start treating it as such.

BREAKING: Panthers trade up to get the number 1 overall selection. The Bears received the 9^th overall selection this year, 61^st overall selection this year,  Panthers first round selection in 2024, the Panthers 2^nd rounder in 2025, and D.J. Moore.