Giants and Bears rebuilds take different trajectories with successful trade of Chicago No. 1 pick

Ryan Poles was a finalist for the Giants’ general manager job a year ago and was hired by the Chicago Bears. Joe Schoen interviewed for the Bears’ GM job and landed the Giants’ job.

Schoen’s Giants surprisingly made the playoffs in the first year, gave starting quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million extension and now have the 25th pick in April’s draft.

The Poles’ Bears sold pieces and fell to the worst record in the NFL in 2022, got the No. 1 pick but still saw some promise in starting quarterback Justin Fields, a player drafted by Chicago’s former regime after a trade. on draft day 2021. with the old guard of the Giants.

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On Friday night, the Poles traded the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a bunch of assets: the No. 9 overall pick, the No. 61 pick in the second, a first 2024 round, a 2025 pick Second-round wide receiver and stud DJ Moore.

The Panthers, with general manager Scott Fitterer and new head coach Frank Reich, now take center stage. They could draft Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis or Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

Carolina has a solid roster; they just need a quarterback. And the NFC South is wide open.

They’re even leaving the door open to possibly re-trade whether the No. 2 Houston Texans or No. 4 Indianapolis Colts make it worth their while, and still keep them in play for a QB.

From the Giants’ perspective, however, Chicago is the most fascinating case study.

The Poles dumped two of their best defensive players, linebacker Roquan Smith and edge Robert Quinn, in a midseason sack last fall, while also acquiring young wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears embraced a 3-14 tank.

Now Poles has the 24-year-old Fields with three years remaining on his rookie contract, including a fifth-year option if the Bears accept him, plus 10 draft picks this April and two firsts in 2024.

The Giants have 11 picks in April with Jones on a contract worth a minimum of $37.5 million per year, looking to supplement their upstart-but-needy roster with some much-needed cap space.

What rebuild would you choose to be on the right track two years from now?

It’s interesting to compare the two franchises, especially since both GMs appear to be proceeding with inherited quarterbacks who initially seemed willing to part with.

Poles and Schoen could have easily ended up in each other’s seats a year ago as well.

Which will turn out better for their respective rebuilds: the Giants’ 2022 success or the Bears’ first-year streak?

Time will tell, but the addition of DJ Moore and Chicago’s acquisition of additional premium assets looks promising to strengthen their Windy City foundation, provided, of course, they’re right about the quarterback.

In New York, in Chicago, in the NFL, that’s what it’s all about.

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That’s why Carolina paid so much to write hers.