Bears Trade Pitch Helps Packers Land Top WR at No. 10 for Draft Haul

The Chicago Bears should have opportunities to trade back from No. 10 overall in the 2025 NFL draft if too many of their blue-chip prospects are taken off the board before they make their selection. Is there any world where the Green Bay Packers are a team that comes calling, looking to make a rare, in-division exchange?

The Bears and Packers have traded very few times throughout their rivalry and have not done so since their 1998 exchange, in which Chicago acquired running back Glyn Milburn in exchange for a seventh-rounder that Green Bay used to draft Donald Driver.

The reasons why are also straightforward. While both teams have shown an openness to making in-division deals with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, the Bears and Packers have been locked in a rivalry for more than a century, one that stands as a core tenet of their respective fanbases. Rarely are there reasons to help one another out.

There is a chance that could change depending on how the board falls in 2025, though.

For the sake of this hypothetical, let’s say the Bears do not have any of their top choices left on the board when they are on the clock at No. 10 overall and decide to start fishing for trade opportunities that could net them an additional Day 2 pick. Let’s also assume the Packers find the motivation to trade up for the top receiver on their draft board.

Here’s one trade pitch that could make sense for both the Bears and Packers (that is fairly equitable in the evaluation of Over the Cap’s trade calculator):

The proposed trade: The Bears send the No. 10 pick, a 2025 seventh-rounder (No. 240) and a 2026 sixth-rounder to the Packers in exchange for the Nos. 23 and 54 picks.

Bears Could Add Multiple Starters via Packers Trade

Alright, maintain your gag reflexes about the Bears and Packers doing business together for a moment and consider the value that both sides could gain from this trade exercise.

The Bears might face a board that does not include Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Will Campbell, Armand Membou, Ashton Jeanty or Tyler Warren after the first nine picks. Georgia’s Jalon Walker or another edge rusher may intrigue them, but their evaluations could also tell them that the better play is trading back and adding another Day 2 pick.

Meanwhile, the Packers could finally break their trend of not selecting first-round wide receivers (dating back to 2002) and make an aggressive trade-up to acquire Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan — arguably the top wideout in the class — to bolster their receiving corps and deliver on general manager Brian Gutekunst’s desire to contend in 2025.

After all, ESPN’s Jordan Reid reported that Gutekunst was the only GM who attended McMillan’s private workout last week even with a low chance McMillan falls to No. 23.

The Bears might balk at any trade offers from the Packers that would help them move up for McMillan (especially if their front office also has a high opinion of him). If they turned the haul into Alabama’s Tyler Booker (No. 23) and Arkansas’ Landon Jackson (No. 54) — or perhaps Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins — while retaining their other two second-rounders, though, a deal with the cheeseheads might not bother them much.

Bears & Packers Both Could Take BPA Approach in Draft

A trade between the Bears and Packers could benefit both sides, but there are plenty of roadblocks that could — and most likely will — keep them away from making any deals even if the rivalry itself is not enough to stop them from weighing the pros and cons.

Notably, both teams might prefer to stay right where they are in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Bears could hypothetically face a situation where multiple of their blue-chip targets come off the board before the 10th pick, but they might have more prospects in that category than people realize. If Walker is a blue-chip prospect in their eyes — or an offensive tackle such as Josh Conerly Jr. or Kelvin Banks Jr. — they would have no reason to move off No. 10 without an offer they can’t refuse on the table.

Meanwhile, for all the noise about the Packers trying to land a No. 1 wide receiver, there is no guarantee they will break their trend and take one in the first round. They could just as easily prioritize a cornerback or a defensive tackle and still address a major need.