Bears General Manager Ryan Poles says the Panthers were eager from the get-go to move up to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and that’s why the trade got done as quickly as it did.
Poles said on the Bears’ 1920 Football Drive show that the Panthers made no secret that they want their franchise quarterback and want him in this draft.
“I knew from the jump that they were a team that really wanted their quarterback,” Poles said, via NFL.com. “They wanted to control the draft. That meant a lot to them. They got in front early, at the combine. I had a good relationship with their general manager, Scott Fitterer, and felt like at that time it was best to close on the deal when we did, instead of dragging it out.”
Poles said the Panthers weren’t the only team interested in moving up to No. 1, but the Panthers made an aggressive offer that included not just two first-round picks and two-second round picks, but also wide receiver DJ Moore, whom the Bears coveted.
“It’s so fluid. It shifts and changes all the time when you’re talking with different teams. Some teams are super aggressive. Some are playing in the gray, and you kind of have to read between the lines,” Poles said.
The Bears were thrilled with the price they got from the Panthers. And if the Panthers’ pick proves to be an elite quarterback, that price will be worth it.
