NEWSLETTER
Do you remember that NFL tampering investigation that features the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings?
Better yet, are you familiar with the Chicago Bears connection to the ridiculousness?
In case you missed it, here is the backstory on that:
Ahhh! Leave it to former Bears general manager Ryan Pace to play a role in this silliness.
There hasn’t been much publicly regarding the tampering investigation. But perhaps we will get some movement on that front. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio points out that the NFL dropped punishment in the Arizona Cardinals-Philadelphia Eagles tampering case around draft time last year. What ultimately came of that ordeal was a third-round pick swap (h/t Associated Press) between the Eagles and Cardinals. Perhaps history will repeat itself one year later.
Resolution of the Falcons-Vikings tampering case could ultimately impact the Bears
When it comes to ironing out a potential punishment, Florio suggests the Falcons and Vikings swap first-round draft picks to put a bow on this whole thing. In other words, Florio’s scenario would give Minnesota the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft while handing Atlanta the No. 11 pick that the Vikings currently own. This seems like a sensible resolution for all parties. But it has me wondering why the Bears can’t get in on this action. After all, the Bears lost wide receiver Darnell Mooney to Atlanta. Shouldn’t something come Chicago’s way? And don’t even get me started on the compensation Bears fans deserve for enduring the Ryan Pace era!
Maybe the NFL will throw a compensatory pick in Chicago’s direction for its trouble. Doesn’t the league owe us that much?
Even if the NFL doesn’t oblige and send something the Bears’ way, the Vikings-Falcons pick swap that Florio offers up is the kind of thing that could impact Chicago’s football team.
Firstly, Minnesota moving up from No. 11 to No. 8 could make it easier for the team to trade up on draft day. There has been ample discussion pointing to the Vikings as a team looking to swing a deal to get in a position to draft a quarterback. If they can successfully do so, it could help the Bears by pushing another non-QB down the draft boards — and into the lap of GM Ryan Poles.
Secondly, moving the Falcons *BEHIND* the Bears takes a team off the board who could snatch one of Chicago’s preferred prospects. The Falcons and Bears could both conceivably have eyes for the same prospects. For instance, both teams have been connected to players such as Alabama pass-rusher Dallas Turner and wide receiver Rome Odunze. The Bears picking ahead of the Falcons could be a net win for Poles and his front office as they search for the right fit to add with their other top-10 pick.
2024 NFL DRAFT: The latest from mock draft central
And, finally, it makes sense for us to keep an eye on what the Vikings do at quarterback. If Minnesota successfully moves up and takes a QB, the Bears will be seeing that signal caller twice a year for the foreseeable future. The NFC North already has Jordan Love and Jared Goff in the division. Unless something unforeseeable happens, the division will add Caleb Williams when Chicago uses the top pick on him in 13 days. But the Bears not being the only team in the division adding a first-round quarterback would make for quite a story.
In the end, I find myself hoping that whatever the Vikings do at the position is the wrong call. Because if Minnesota has to empty its treasure trove of draft picks to move up to take a QB and gets it wrong, that is the type of thing that will feed generations. And I’m totally here for the petty posts that will come as a result.
I squirm every year when I have to write about the NFL’s “legal tampering” period. Simply put, I hate writing the oxymoronic term. However, because I have yet to come up with better terminology, I ride out with what I’ve got in my brain. It’s a mess up there, but I make do with what I’ve got at my disposal. Anyway, every once in a while, we get actual tampering to discuss because teams and players try to dance around it. And this offseason turned out to be one of those years.
