First, the Chicago Bears have to shake off the bad culture. And they took a step in the right direction, according to Caleb Williams. Also, they must add talent. Here are the two best players the Bears must trade for in the 2025 NFL offseason.
Chicago started this season with a 4-2 mark before collapsing with a 10-game losing streak. They finally ended the skid with a 24-22 win over rival Green Bay in the season’s final game. But it became clear that Williams needed help on the offensive side of the football. And the Bears could certainly use a receiver to pair with D.J. Moore.
That’s where we begin our trade talks.
Bears need to trade for 49ers WR Deebo Samuel
The reason Samuel tops this list is because of his price tag. He’s coming off a poor season, but at age 29 he should still have some miles left on the tread.
Because of that production, and his injury history, it seems unlikely the 49ers will sit pat with him. That’s especially true with the emergence of Ricky Pearsall.
Pro Football Focus said Samuel’s overall metrics dipped.
“Samuel hasn’t enjoyed the success we’re accustomed to seeing, netting a career-low 70.9 PFF overall grade with a career-low 1.60 yards per route run and 8.2 yards after the catch per reception,” Bradley Locker wrote.
Again, this makes his affordable. And he would be a nice fit in Johnson’s wild-west offense that likes to use receivers in different ways. That’s Samuel’s game.
Kyle Shanahan says Samuel still has that zip
The 49ers head coach said he doesn’t think Samuel has lost a step, according to nbcsports.com.
“I don’t think Deebo’s slowed down,” Shanahan said in December. “(But) I think he got banged up earlier in the year. I thought he had an awesome training camp to where I’d say he didn’t slow down at all. We were real excited going into the year. And I want to say it was Week 2 he got hurt in. I think Week 2 versus Minnesota, he had over 100 yards and then we didn’t get him versus the Rams. It set him back for a few weeks and then when he came back he had pneumonia. He had a rib thing. I think that set him off for like a month where he couldn’t practice as much. When you build up a bunch in camp and then you miss a lot of time in practice it is hard to maintain that stuff.
“But by no means do I think he’s lost it or anything. Then his looks haven’t been quite as good this year, just like for everybody. When the 10 guys around you aren’t doing quite as good, whether it’s him, whether it’s the quarterback, whether it’s O-Line. You’re not going to do as good as you did the year before.”
Another reason the 49ers might be willing to move on from Samuel is the comments he made in early December. Yes, it could be considered one of those moments where a player tried to be the squeaky wheel. But Deebo said in a now-deleted post, “”Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!”
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All of the exclamation points seem to add to the issue. But Samuel later posted, “Just cause I voice my opinions mean I’m hating on any of my teammates!! Be Fr”
The door seems open and the Bears could use a talent like Samuel.
Bears might kick the tires on WR D.K. Metcalf
Inconsistency has dogged Metcalf throughout his career. Perhaps quarterback play adds to the problem, but it seems like he puts up giant games followed by very quiet ones.
This year he had over 100 yards in three straight games early in the season. He added a 99-yard outing three weeks later. But over the last eight games he never topped more that 70 yards. And he finished with clunkers of 28, 57, 42, and 53.
Worst of all, the giant-sized Metcalf had two catches and zero touchdowns on seven targets in the red zone. He’s a guy who should get seven targets in the red zone in a game sometimes. What a misfire by the Seahawks.
And what an opportunity for the Bears. If they could add Metcalf to the picture without wrecking the rest of the ship, it might be a banner 2025 for Williams.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged the problem with Metcalf, according to a post on X by Michael-Shawn Dugar.
Mike Macdonald on DK’s year: “It’s not just good enough to get the coverage tilted to him. We’ve got to figure out more ways to get him the ball consistently & let him impact the game with the ball in his hands.”
Perhaps a new offensive coordinator can help Metcalf. Macdonald called in the best job out there, according to nytimes.com.
“It’s a heck of a job,” Macdonald said. “It starts with the organization. All the reasons why I felt this was a great place to be have been backed up tenfold. It starts there, and our players are really the next (part). Shoot, we got great players, man. We’ve got a great young core.”
