The Chicago Bears arguably have more pass catchers than they need and clearly fewer pass rushers than what is required to pressure opposing quarterbacks at even an average rate in the modern NFL.
So why not consider a swap ahead of the league’s November 4 trade deadline?
New York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is the No. 1 player on Bleacher Report’s Trade Block Big Board heading into Week 4. And while Kristopher Knox doesn’t list the Bears as one of the top two destinations for the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Thibodeaux might make considerable sense in Chicago. He might also be a way to shed heavy money from the wide receiver position before it goes bad in a move reminiscent of those made by Bill Belichick back in his prime years with the New England Patriots.
Knox lists Thibodeaux’s trade value at either a second-round pick or and/or a starting player. Bears wideout DJ Moore is better than just an average starting player, with four 1,000-yard receiving seasons to his credit, though somehow never a Pro Bowl appearance.
The Giants are transitioning to rookie Jaxson Dart as the starting quarterback and would probably be open to the idea of adding a 28-year-old veteran wideout alongside second-year star Malik Nabers to ease Dart’s transition to the pro game in 2025 and beyond.
New York also has rookie Abdul Carter and veteran Brian Burns on the defense to terrorize opposing quarterbacks, which renders Thibodeaux expendable. A straight up swap of Moore for Thibodeaux is probably a win for the Giants, but if New York threw a fourth- or fifth-round pick into the deal, it could make sense for both sides.
Rome Odunze Looks Ready to Replace DJ Moore as Bears’ Top Wide Receiver
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Chicago drafted Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick in 2024. The team then spent the No. 10 selection in 2025 on tight end Colston Loveland and the No. 39 pick on slot receiver Luther Burden III.
Odunze appears at the beginning of a breakout campaign, with 16 catches for 227 receiving yards and a league-leading four touchdown receptions through three contests. Meanwhile, Moore’s production pace across the same stretch, when extrapolated out over a 17-game regular season, is 68 catches, 765 receiving yards and six touchdowns. That would collectively be the worst year of Moore’s career, aside from his rookie campaign in 2018.
Trading Moore would be a bet on Odunze’s ascension to a No. 1 option in Ben Johnson’s offense alongside fellow top-10 draftee quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears would also be making a smaller bet on Loveland and Burden either equalling, or exceeding, their draft values in the coming years.
Finally it would be an acknowledgement that even if Moore picks up his statistical pace in 2025 and has multiple good seasons left in front of him, the Bears could still do more elsewhere on the roster with the $110 million the franchise committed to the receiver over a four-year extension that keeps him under contract through 2029.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Can Add Help at Bears’ Position of Need for Less Money Than Chicago Is Paying DJ Moore
GettyNew York Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
In this hypothetical transaction, Chicago would also be betting that Thibodeaux can prove an immediate impact player on a defense that has mustered just five sacks through three games.
“If the Giants aren’t overly committed to Thibodeaux, now would be the perfect time to move him,” Knox wrote on Tuesday, September 23. “The demand for Thibodeaux on the trade market should be extremely high. While he’s never quite played up to his draft status, he’s had one double-digit sack season and is still only 24 years old.”
Thibodeaux is currently on the final season of his initial four-year rookie contract, worth $31 million total. However, the Giants exercised their fifth-year option on that deal for 2026, which means he is under contract next season at the price of $14.75 million.
That is considerably less than what Moore is earning in 2026 at a position in Chicago of considerably more need. Throw in the fact that the Bears can probably get an early Day-3 pick back in the exchange with New York, and the deal looks even better from Chicago’s side.
Thibodeaux has tallied 51 QB hits, 28 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks across 46 games played in the NFL. Pro Football Focus credits him with 12 pressures in three contests this year and currently ranks him 29th overall out of 155 qualifying edge rushers.
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