Naturally, with the Chicago Bears securing the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, trade scenarios have started to pop up like Whac-A-Moles.
One trade proposal many members of Bears Nation have already started swatting down comes from Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports.
In exchange for the No. 1 overall pick, the Bears would receive: the 2024 fifth overall pick, the 2024 39th overall pick, the 2024 105th overall pick, the 2025 first-round pick, the 2025 third-round pick and wide receiver Darius Slayton.
With WR2 Darnell Mooney very likely headed toward free agency this offseason, the Bears are going to need more help in the wide receivers room. Would Slayton be a solid addition for Chicago?
Bears Nation Says No Thanks to Darius Slayton, Giants Trade Proposal
According to ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Courtney Cronin, the value of the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft is far higher than what Trapasso is assuming.
In @CBSSports latest 2024 NFL mock draft, the Giants and Bears make a trade similar to the one the Bears and Panthers made a year ago that landed Carolina Bryce Young.
The Giants get:
No. 1 overall pick to select USC QB Caleb Williams
The Bears get:
5th overall
39th overall… pic.twitter.com/rW8HCHyhE5— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) January 4, 2024
Fowler and Cronin reported that the No1 overall could be worth up to “two future first-rounders on top of this year’s pick, along with a variation of a Day 2 pick and/or a premium veteran player on a manageable contract.”
Considering this, Bears Nation gave a big “No thank you” to the proposal.
Draft analyst Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron called the proposal “far too light” on draft capital:
If I’m the #Bears, I’m not even thinking about trading out of the top 4 unless the trade haul is out of this world.
If they keep Justin Fields, you trade back a few spots to where you can still take MHJ. If they trade JF1, you take a QB at No. 1 no matter what.
Anything from…
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) January 4, 2024
“Pass,” Bears Wire’s Alyssa Barbieri wrote.
— Alyssa Barbieri (@AlyssaBarbieri) January 4, 2024
“That would be a no,” The Irish Bears Show posted from its X account.
That would be a no. https://t.co/J39pfoCOXE
— The Irish Bears Show (@IrishBearsShow) January 4, 2024
The inclusion of Slayton also gave multiple people pause:
Don’t nobody want no Darius Slayton https://t.co/DQPJsdIQp7
— EJ 🇺🇸 (@itsmine49) January 4, 2024
A Quick Look at the Stats
In 16 games this season (12 starts), Slayton has 45 receptions for 708 yards and three touchdowns. The five-year vet has four seasons with over 700 yards receiving, and he has one year remaining on his two-year, $12 million contract with New York.
Slayton has produced enough to be a solid contributor, but his issues with dropped passes should give major pause. Slayton had six drops in each of the previous two seasons, per PFF, although he has whittled that number down to two this year.
It’s also unlikely Slayton could offer more than Mooney can.
Now in Year 4, Mooney is finishing up his second straight disappointing season. He showed promise as a rookie in 2020, when he caught 61 passes for 631 yards and 4 TDs. He followed that up in 2021 with his best season to date.
Good throw from Tyson Bagent but what a catch by Darnell Mooney.
pic.twitter.com/cSK4l1qXKZ— Dave (@dave_bfr) October 30, 2023
In 17 games (14 starts), Mooney hauled in 81 passes for 1,055 yards and four scores. He’s no WR1, and it’s fair to call his WR2 status into question after the last two years, but it’s unlikely Slayton would be a better fit.
Giants GM Joe Schoen’s Trade History Makes Them Team to Watch
Don’t assume the Giants won’t be an option as a trade partner, however.
“If he really wants a player, he’s not afraid to move up. Last year, Schoen traded with the Jaguars to get Deonte Banks in the first round, then did so again with the Rams in the third round for Jalin Hyatt,” Giants beat writer Doug Rush noted on X.
“When Joe Schoen was the assistant GM for the Bills in 2018, he, along with Bills GM Brandon Beane, made two significant trades,” Rush wrote in a subsequent post, adding:
“A month before the draft, the Bills traded No. 21, a fifth round pick and OL Cordy Glenn to the Bengals for No. 12 and a sixth round pick. On the night of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills moved up again, as they trade No. 12 and two second round picks (53 and 56) to the Buccaneers for No. 7 overall and a seventh round pick.”
It will be fascinating to see what Bears general manager Ryan Poles elects to do with the top pick. If he decides to trade it, he should have no shortage of interested teams to make a deal with.
