Bear Digest

An insane Chicago Bears trade that would be nearly as shocking as the Luka Dončić/Anthony Davis deal

Alan Goldsher

Former Dallas Maverick Luka Dončić running towards the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James
Former Dallas Maverick Luka Dončić running towards the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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Last night, in a move that blew the minds of the entire sports world, the Dallas Mavericks sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. The Utah Jazz and salary filler were also part of the stew.

Upon first blush, the Lakers won the trade by several hundred miles: After all, they acquired a 25-year-old who, if he keeps away from the doughnuts, is still a couple of years away from hitting his peak, only to receive a 31-year-old who gets injured if you look at him funny.

This is arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history, a league known for its shocking trades.

The Natonal Football League, on the other hand, is not known for its shocking trades. Not. One. Bit.

Sure, the NFL produces some big moves—the Herschel Walker and Ricky Williams deals come to mind—but rarely are two Hall of Fame-level players swapped for one another.

This isn’t to say it can’t be done.

B’Bye Caleb

The Chicago Bears don’t have any Hall of Famers on their roster—maybe one of their players will evolve into That Guy someday—but they certainly own enough pieces to put together a deal that would send shockwaves throughout the NFL.

And it goes a little something like this…

CHICAGO BEARS RECEIVE

  • QB Joe Burrow
  • WR Andrei Iosivas
  • Cincinnati Bengals 2025 fourth round pick

CINCINNATI BENGALS RECEIVE

  • QB Caleb Williams
  • WR D.J. Moore
  • Chicago Bears 2025 first round pick (10)
  • Chicago Bears 2026 first round pick

Why the Bengals Might Agree

Based on last season’s weirdness in Ohio—i.e., the Bengals couldn’t sneak into the postseason despite a season for the ages from Burrow—something’s gotta give.

Sure, you can blame Cincy’s Swiss cheese defense, but the high-powered offense still wasn’t able get the team across the finish line.

It’s most likely that after free agency, the Bengals will have a Tee Higgins-sized hole in their receivers room, a hole that would be neatly filled by Moore. And with Chicago’s ten-pick, they can land a high-end EDGE like Georgia’s Mykel Williams or a world-class safety in Malaki Starks.

Replacing Burrow with Caleb would require a huge leap of faith, but if he’s as generational as some believe, they’d win the trade in a landslide.

Why the Bears Might Agree

Burrow would immediately become the second- or third-best offensive player in Chicago Bears franchise history—after Walter Payton and possibly Sid Luckman—and at 28, he has a decade of quality football left in his arm. Maybe more.

Losing Moore would be a blow to the Bears’ receiving corps, but Rome Odunze is still in the house, and it’s possible that OSU’s Emeka Egbuka or Texas’ Matthew Golden falls into their laps at pick 39.

And lest we forget, Tee Higgins is a free agent. No question Burrow would be thrilled to be reunited with his second-favorite target.

It’ll Never Happen, Of Course. Nor Should It.

Even for a stud like Burrow, the Bears wouldn’t give up their face-of-the-franchise along with a ton of draft capital, hard stop.

Plus, what happened last year in Cincy tells us that Burrow can’t drag a team to the playoffs—let alone the Super Bowl—all by his lonesome. So unless Bears GM Ryan Poles can work some magic on the free agent market and crush the 2025 Draft, we’re looking at years of 9-8 records.

As for the Bengals, Joe Brrr is one of the most beloved players in team history, and justifiably so. If their director of player personnel Duke Tobin can both make one judicious defensive free agent signing and draft a defensive starter, they’ll be back in the AFC championship mix for years to come, no trade necessary.

So yeah, it’s a silly deal all around.

But who knows: The Dallas Mavericks traded one of the greatest players of his generation, so anything’s possible.

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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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