The Chicago Bears plan is to build around quarterback Justin Fields after trading up to get him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. While Fields’ rookie season had ups and downs, the Bears roster doesn’t have the playmakers to match up with some of the top contenders in this league and that didn’t help his development.
With only Darnell Mooney and Dazz Newsome signed for next season, the Bears have a need at wide receiver and now they are being connected to a receiver on the trade market.
In his latest for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer mentions the Bears, along with Jacksonville, the New York Jets and New England as teams with second-year quarterbacks that should pursue Ridley:
Who should trade for him? If I’m one of the teams with a quarterback going into Year 2—the Jaguars, Jets, Bears or Patriots—the idea of adding Ridley would be awfully tempting. The Jaguars could pair him with a recovering D.J. Chark; the Jets with a rising—and young—Elijah Moore. He could be the Bears’ replacement for Allen Robinson or help elevate a crew of good but complementary-type skill guys around Mac Jones in New England.
The 27-year-old Ridley has one year left on his deal, his fifth year option, before becoming a free agent in 2023. That could impact his price and if that’s the case, the Bears should be in on adding a receiver of his caliber.
They already have really good number two in Darnell Mooney and will likely try to bring a speed option like Marquise Goodwin back for another year. That would be a solid combination for the Bears to provide Fields in his second year.
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