Chicago Bears: 4 trade packages to pull the trigger on

Trade No. 2

One of the biggest storylines of the offseason was where quarterback Tom Brady would end up. After he chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that tight end Rob Gronkowski would end up joining him.

It was only a matter of time before Brady convinced Gronkowski to come back, and sure enough, he was dealt to the Bucs. Now, the Bucs have Gronk, highly-talented and athletic O.J. Howard as well as Cameron Brate, whom they inked to a fairly lucrative contract last year. Brate still has four years remaining on his deal, with cap hits of $4.25 million this year, over $6 million the next two years and then $7.5 million in 2023.

Here’s the kicker, though: Brate’s dead cap goes to zero after this season, so the Bears could cut him if they absolutely had to. However, I don’t see that happening.

Brate would end up being a fantastic compliment to rookie Cole Kmet. Obviously, the Bears have Jimmy Graham for at least this year. But, they have to continue to look out for the future of this position — a position which has been horrendous for a little while.

Giving up a fifth-round pick for a guy who can go up and make the difficult grabs and presents a big red zone option for the Bears’ offense seems like a small price to pay. For the Bucs, it makes sense because I believe Brady will have a hard time letting go of the talent that is Howard. I see Brady, Gronk and the Bucs making Howard into a stud, just as he always should have been.