1 minute ago, Kyyle23 said:

For comparison sake, it looks like the Bears simply paid the price of poker

I think by reputation, playing for cowboys vs. titans (and in AFC south) is part of the shock.

I was hoping we could get him for the dexter lawrence cost but that was for the 10th overall pick and he needed an extension. So - probably puts us where we are.

18 minutes ago, bmags said:

I think by reputation, playing for cowboys vs. titans (and in AFC south) is part of the shock.

I was hoping we could get him for the dexter lawrence cost but that was for the 10th overall pick and he needed an extension. So - probably puts us where we are.

FWIW, 2 picks in the 20s in separate years is worth less than the 10th pick.

I think if we are concerned about these picks in next two years, something has gone drastically wrong

4 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

I think if we are concerned about these picks in next two years, something has gone drastically wrong

Well, i'm sure if Thuney retires we are going to feel pings of regret of some favorite college guard. It puts a ton of pressure in the later rounds of the draft. That's where the rams have excelled and Poles has not.

one thing that will be cool is the bears offense is so good at running lots of plays and staying on the field. I'm sure the titans offense was not.

He's already a 3-down guy, but he's a 3 down guy that can go all out all game.

Simmons also stays on the field too. And some armchair GMs wanted to trade this exact price for a broken down Crosby in the summer lol. Simmons is the best DT in the game. His numbers both analytically and actual are ridiculous. This is a legit game changing, blue chip player. I can tell the meatheads who have never or barely watched him play.

Now get another rotational piece at DE and a DB or two (they need to replace Jaylon Johnson ASAP) and we are cooking.

13 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

I think if we are concerned about these picks in next two years, something has gone drastically wrong

It wasn't that long ago that just about every Bears fan thought this season was over. One major injury can change a lot of things.

3 minutes ago, chw42 said:

It wasn't that long ago that just about every Bears fan thought this season was over. One major injury can change a lot of things.

very true.

8 minutes ago, chw42 said:

It wasn't that long ago that just about every Bears fan thought this season was over. One major injury can change a lot of things.

I would consider a major injury something going drastically wrong lol

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

This is what you do in the NFL when your QB is on his rookie contract and your window is open. You try to win before you get cap blocked.

You’re right. That’s the best answer and what my Bears fan buddy said. I just hate giving up so much draft capital for 29/30 year old defensive players. I liked the Buckner trade, but this is the going rate for a top defensive players and the price of playing poker.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by WhiteSox2023

To echo others, I’m really excited they took a big swing. Mack was the easy choice, but it’s a temporary stop gap. Simmons changes the entire defense, and is now one of the three most important players on the team, and is locked up. You can glass half full and glass half empty things, but if the plan works, you’re talking about trading two first round picks that will land between 27-32. Are you going to draft a player that gives you the kind of production you are expecting out of Simmons with either of those picks? In the Bears current competitive window?

It’s a high price to pay, but I applaud the Bears for taking a major swing at this, and recognizing they have a real shot to win this thing in the next two years. Time to go.

1 hour ago, almagest said:

Not an overpay for a top 5 DT with 4 years left on his deal. Dude is a game wrecker and the Bears needed help at tackle.

Nevermind. I didn’t see that he signed an extension this past summer. I thought he was FA after this year. Good trade then.

SORRY, I WAS WRONG, @Tony!!!

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by WhiteSox2023

1 hour ago, Kyyle23 said:

The happiest guy on the team has to be Montez Sweat right now. His suspension is going to be completely forgotten in all of this, he is no longer the focal point of the D Line, all of the opposing OLine will be moved to stopping Simmons instead of holding off Sweat.

It allows him to just be obscure lol

Yep, but I bet his sack numbers jump as a result. He already got paid but this is the best thing to happen to him for sure.

That looks like it was Kevin Fishbain wrote the article, but it is Daniel Popper

28 minutes ago, Kyyle23 said:

That looks like it was Kevin Fishbain wrote the article, but it is Daniel Popper

More like Daniel Pooper, amirite?

But seriously, he's kind of right, but also sort of misses the point. We're all on the same page. This IS to win the Super Bowl. That's why you make the move. Nothing is ever guaranteed in sports, but you can either try and make the playoffs every year and hope for the best, or push the chips in a theoretically give yourself a better chance to win it all.

The question then becomes "There is a very real world where 5 years from now, you look back at the 2026-2027 roster and say "God they had so many pieces, how did they not try harder to go for it?" and do you want to do that, or do you want to try to maximize the window you have now, with your 24 year old ascending QB on his rookie deal?

If Simmons stays healthy and continues his play over the next two years, it's not an overpay based on the team needs and makeup of the Bears. And the trade isn't failure if they make the next two NFC Championship games. I want my GM to not only build a good foundation for a team, but I want them to have the balls to make the moves necessary to take you to the next level, to go from good to great. Good isn't the expectation, I want them to be great.

1 hour ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

Nevermind. I didn’t see that he signed an extension this past summer. I thought he was FA after this year. Good trade then.

SORRY, I WAS WRONG, @Tony!!!

Oh yeah if he was a FA this would be stupid unless they immediately extended him and even then it’d be an overpay.

2 hours ago, chw42 said:

FWIW, 2 picks in the 20s in separate years is worth less than the 10th pick.

This could essentially be 2 2nd round picks if the Bears do what they can do the next two years before Caleb's hit goes close to 9 figures.

And now this.

12 minutes ago, Tony said:

More like Daniel Pooper, amirite?

But seriously, he's kind of right, but also sort of misses the point. We're all on the same page. This IS to win the Super Bowl. That's why you make the move. Nothing is ever guaranteed in sports, but you can either try and make the playoffs every year and hope for the best, or push the chips in a theoretically give yourself a better chance to win it all.

The question then becomes "There is a very real world where 5 years from now, you look back at the 2026-2027 roster and say "God they had so many pieces, how did they not try harder to go for it?" and do you want to do that, or do you want to try to maximize the window you have now, with your 24 year old ascending QB on his rookie deal?

If Simmons stays healthy and continues his play over the next two years, it's not an overpay based on the team needs and makeup of the Bears. And the trade isn't failure if they make the next two NFC Championship games. I want my GM to not only build a good foundation for a team, but I want them to have the balls to make the moves necessary to take you to the next level, to go from good to great. Good isn't the expectation, I want them to be great.

Yea, a lot of the previous times we all complain “not the right time AND you overpaid” but right now it’s go time. The league has realized Caleb is special and the bears have realized that they have to maximize the time that they have before his contract becomes a reality.

2 hours ago, almagest said:

Oh yeah if he was a FA this would be stupid unless they immediately extended him and even then it’d be an overpay.

They also don't have to pay him any signing bonuses he's owed. The Titans take that cap hit the next 2 years. He's also not owed any guaranteed money after 2028.