The Chicago Bears have a lot of optimism entering 2024, but they know their defense needs to improve.
Following a 2023 season in which the Bears allowed the 13th-most points per game in the National Football League, Chicago has a solid base of defensive talent to build upon, as the young linebacking core and secondary gains another year of experience.
But the pass rush is the Achilles Heel. The Bears sacked opposing quarterbacks only 30 times last season, which ranked second-to-last in the NFL, ahead of only the lowly Carolina Panthers.
The Bears attempted to address their pass rush woes by trading for former New England Patriots star Matthew Judon, but Judon reportedly chose the Atlanta Falcons over Chicago. However, one NFL analyst believes they could land someone he believes is even better.
On the NFL Daily podcast, Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic proposed a trade that would send star New York Jets linebacker Haason Reddick to the Bears for a third-round pick.
"I think the Jets are sick of this. I don't see an end to this," Rodrigue said. That third-round pick that (the Bears) were gonna give for Judon, let's send it to the Jets."
Reddick, 29, blossomed into one of the league's top pass rushers in Philadelphia over the past two seasons. He was a Pro Bowler both years, a second-team All-Pro in 2022, and totaled 27 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries as an Eagle.
The Jets believed Reddick could turn their pass rush into a juggernaut, but now, they seem unable to convince him to play in New York. Reddick is entering the final year of his three-year contract and would likely demand an extension from the Bears or any team that traded for him.
If Chicago could convince the Jets to send them Reddick, their already-optimistic outlook on the 2024 season would get even brighter. And the Bears have plenty of future cap space to fit Reddick on the payroll, with $51 million in projected 2025 cap space, per Spotrac.
But can the Bears and/or Reddick convince the Jets it's time to let go? That will be the real key to making a deal happen.
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