Well, the Chicago Bears seem to have crossed over into the wildly speculative period of the 2025 NFL offseason several weeks earlier than expected.
Somehow, according to Bovada Sportsbook, the Bears are currently among the betting favorites to trade for New York Jets superstar wide receiver Garrett Wilson during the 2025 offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs (+300) are getting the best odds to trade for Wilson, while the Houston Texans and Bears are tied with the second-best odds (+500).
Wilson incidentally spawned trade rumors about his future following the Jets’ practice on December 19. A reporter asked him in the locker room whether he would want to stay with the Jets if the team approached him with a long-term contract offer and the 2022 NFL Offensive Rooke of the Year did not respond with any certainty about it.
“Uh, I don’t know, man,” Wilson said Thursday. “I just do whatever, go about my day, be where my feet at. And if they do [offer me an extension], that would be a blessing. That would be awesome. I love the Jets. At the end of the day, they were the ones that believed in me, but I can’t be worrying about all. Just going to finish these three games the right way, but I don’t know, man. I can’t be looking into all that right now.”
Odds Be Damned; Garrett Wilson Trade Makes No Sense
Wilson has endured three consecutive losing seasons with the Jets since they took him at No. 10 overall in the 2022 NFL draft and has seemed frustrated throughout the 2024 season as his team has flopped to a 4-10 record. Wilson’s $20.5 million rookie contract, however, runs through the end of the 2025 season with a fifth-year option available in 2026, making it unlikely the team will look to trade him unless he makes a demand.
Even if the Jets changed their minds and decided to seek out trade partners for their star wide receiver, though, the Bears seem unlikely to even call about his availability.
The Bears might pursue more receiving talent during the 2025 offseason, but they have little reason to spend big on a starting wide receiver or invest a high-end draft pick into one for two big reasons. For one, they just signed star D.J. Moore to a four-year, $110 million extension in August. They also invested a top-10 pick into rookie wideout Rome Odunze during the 2024 NFL draft, giving them two starters for the foreseeable future.
Don’t get it twisted: Wilson is just 67 yards away from recording his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and is one of the best young pass-catchers in the NFL despite dealing with subpar quarterback play for the majority of his career. The Bears also possess the draft capital to make a compelling offer for Wilson with a potential top-10 selection and two second-rounders — likely both in the top 40 — for the upcoming 2025 NFL draft.
With Moore and Odunze locked down for at least another three seasons, though, there is simply no good reason for the Bears to trade for Garrett and ignore their other needs.
Bears Have Other Ways to Improve 2025 WR Corps
The Bears will likely focus their offseason talent-acquisition efforts on improving other positions on their roster, such as their offensive and defensive lines, but it is not out of the question that they could make a splash for an additional wide receiver or two.
They just do not need to trade for Garrett Wilson to make that splash.
One of the most sensible paths forward for the Bears is considering whether to extend veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is heading for NFL free agency in March. The Bears have the cap space — roughly $68.1 million — to make him a reasonable contract offer to play another season in Chicago, but his price tag could keep them away if he wants too much money. Or, perhaps, they do not feel Allen added enough in 2024.
If Allen is not the answer, the Bears will have options both in free agency and the draft. High-end veterans such as Tee Higgins, Stefon Diggs and Chris Godwin will likely prove too expensive for what the Bears need, but they could kick the tires on shorter deals for receivers with lower price tags, such as Demarcus Robinson or Darius Slayton.
The Bears should also explore drafting at least one wide receiver in the draft given how shallow their depth has become. They dumped 2022 third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. earlier in the 2024 season and have been reluctant to use 2023 fourth-rounder Tyler Scott much at all on offense, giving preference to veteran DeAndre Carter instead. Even with a veteran signing, a rookie draft pick — or a few — would suit their long-term plan.
