Shortly after smelling smoke and speculating about a possible Chicago Bears trade for Matthew Judon, the Patriots agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons in return for a third-round pick.
According to insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears were apparently in the mix until the end, but the Falcons finally got back at the Windy City after Chicago stole Montez Sweat from them at the trade deadline last year.
Atlanta notoriously passed up Laiatu Latu at No. 8 overall to grab quarterback Michael Penix Jr., allowing the Bears to take Rome Odunze with the following pick, and addressed edge rusher in the third round with Bralen Trice, who is currently injured. So they definitely needed Judon more than the Bears, who only wanted a running partner for Montez Sweat.
But this is where it gets fascinating.
While I had assumed the Bears would not trade more than their 2025 fifth-round pick for Judon, I may have overestimated how far general manager Ryan Poles was ready to go. NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry said Thursday that the Bears matched the Falcons’ offer of a third-round pick, forcing New England to choose Atlanta as the trade destination.
The Patriots believe the Falcons will be worse this year than the Bears. That’s rather astonishing given that the Bears play in the same division as the Green Bay Packers and NFC runner-up Detroit Lions, and the Falcons have the strongest team in the NFC South on paper.
Even if it didn’t work out, I believe this pursuit indicates something significant: the NFL is ready for the Bears to be good right now.
Despite Caleb Williams’ expected rookie moments this year, the Bears have legitimate postseason expectations this year thanks to the roster rearranging. It doesn’t hurt that Williams already appears to be on his way to becoming a really good player. The Bears’ offensive roster, constructed around Williams, who was widely regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects in a decade, combined with a strong defence has piqued the league’s interest.
Still, someone like Judon, who turns 32 today, probably wouldn’t have fit into the Bears’ plans for very long if he had been here. The genuine window for the Bears to compete for a championship is likely Williams’ second and third seasons, when Judon will be 33 and 34 years old.
But what if the Bears believe the moment is now, not later?
What if Poles, who witnessed firsthand how the Chiefs handled Patrick Mahomes’ rookie season, wants to test the hypothesis of what it would have been like if Mahomes had started for Kansas City right away — with Williams? Could Mahomes have improved that readymade playoff club beyond what Alex Smith did if given the opportunity?
In any case, the Bears appear to have signalled that they are not satisfied with simply slipping into the dance and would like to make some meaningful moves. Furthermore, the NFL expects them to be a factor sooner rather than later, and is treating them accordingly.
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