Chicago Bears: Could the New Orleans Saints be a trade partner tonight?

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace obviously has a history with the New Orleans Saints.  Could that work to his advantage in a draft night trade?

Well, the hits just keep on coming.  Earlier today, I wrote about the Baker Mayfield rumor and how it would benefit the Chicago Bears.

Before the ink was even dry, a new story has emerged that could be even better for Ryan Pace and the Bears.

Today on the Dan Patrick Show, Mike Mayock created quite the stir when he casually dropped some news about the New Orleans Saints.  The Saints currently have one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Drew Brees.

However, he is entering his 18th season, and the Saints would do well to start looking for his successor.  With that as a backdrop, Mayock intimated that the Saints could look in this draft to find his replacement.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there could be an early run on quarterbacks.  If that happens, and the Saints are looking for one, they could look to move up in the draft.  Based on the quarterbacks projected the go early, the likeliest target would be Lamar Jackson.  If the top four quarterbacks are all drafted prior to No. 8, we enter the realm of supply and demand.

Lamar Jackson would unquestionably be the best quarterback available.  As a result, there is little chance he would make it to the twenty-seventh pick, where the Saints currently stand.

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Therefore, they would have to aggressively move up.  To feel good about their chances of drafting him, they would need to move ahead of the Dolphins at eleven, the Buffalo Bills at twelve, and the Arizona Cardinals at fifteen.

All of these teams are looking for a quarterback.  As for trade partners, the most likely are the Indianapolis Colts at No. 6, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7, or the Bears at No. 8.

However, the Saints might find the price is too rich to move up to six or seven.  Additionally, the Saints have a prior relationship with Ryan Pace and may feel more comfortable dealing with the Bears.

For those reasons, the eighth pick is probably the sweet spot for the Saints.

If the Saints were looking to move up to eight, what would it cost?  At a minimum, it would involve an exchange of this year’s first-round picks, and the Saints 2019 first round pick.  Using the draft value trade chart, that would still leave them about 100-200 points shy (depending on where the Saints 2019 first-round pick would be).  This would mean that either a 2018 or 2019 second-round pick would also be included.

From a pure “value” standpoint, the Saints would certainly be giving up more than the Bears.  However, the Bears would have all the leverage.  The Saints need to make a massive move for a potential franchise quarterback.  If the Saints are sold on Jackson, then it would be worth it.

Next: Why Bears will go defense in Round 1

Bottom Line

The Chicago Bears could be in a position to draft a game-changer at eight overall.  However, the Saints might literally call with an offer to good to refuse.  If they do, Ryan Pace needs to pick up the phone.