The Chicago Bears are reportedly shopping the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft but it will cost a team like the Indianapolis Colts a lot to trade up.
Recently, at the NFL Combine, the quarterback prospects showed out. Bryce Young didn’t workout but he impressed in meetings, Anthony Richardson showcased his elite athleticism, CJ Stroud put on a passing clinic, and Will Levis showed off his strong arm. No team was happier to see these impressive showings than the Chicago Bears, the team in possession of the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
However, the Bears already have a quarterback in Justin Fields. That’s why Chicago is open to trade the No. 1 pick. It was already expected to be a competitive trade market for the pick, but with the QBs continuing to improve their stock, it will now be very expensive to trade for the No. 1 pick. Following the Combine, NFL insiders are sharing what it might cost for quarterback-needy teams like the Indianapolis Colts to trade up to the No. 1 pick.
From our Combine coverage: Who is trading to No. 1 is the storyline that will persist upon leaving Indy. pic.twitter.com/qKbJook6Hb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 5, 2023
What do Colts have to trade for the Bears No. 1 pick?
The week of the Combine is also a good time for NFL insiders to get a grasp on what’s going on in the league. One of the emerging storylines now that the Combine is over is how much it will cost teams to trade for Chicago’s No. 1 pick. While Ian Rapoport has reported that there’s significant interest with several teams scrambling to get in the conversation, other insiders have reported that the Bears will ask for at least a first-round swap of 2023 picks, as well as two additional first-round picks, likely from the 2024 and 2025 Drafts.
One of those insiders was ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who specifically said for the Colts “To go from 1 to 4, it's a minimum of two ones, and then some, and then some. It’s a lot.” NBC Sports’ Peter King also echoed that sentiment, saying Chicago’s general manager Ryan Poles “had enough conversations about a deal to know in swapping first-round picks this year he can get “a ’24 one and a ’25 one” in a major package for a trade.”
Should Colts trade two future first-round picks for the No. 1 pick?
The Bears are asking for a lot, especially if they are trading just three spots back with the Colts. If this is actually Chicago’s asking price, Chris Ballard’s approach toward trading up makes a lot of sense. Indianapolis might actually be comfortable sitting at No. 4 and just seeing how things unfold. If the franchise is going to send away at least two future first-round picks, as Ballard said, the Colts have to be really convinced without a doubt that the quarterback they are moving up to select is the real deal.