The Chicago Bears have drafted several good players over their history, but they gave up on a few picks far too quickly and have regretted those decisions immensely.
For every good decision the Chicago Bears ever made, such as drafting Walter Payton, there are also several bad decisions, such as trading Greg Olsen.
It’s not surprising that the oldest franchise in the NFL has made its fair share of decisions that have hurt the franchise for years to come, such as drafting Mitchell Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
However, it’s the moves that involve moving on from a player and said player going somewhere else and thriving at the expense of Chicago that leaves the Windy City bluer than the cold wind off Lake Michigan.
Let’s take a look at some of those decisions that have hurt the franchise.
The Chicago Bears made several bad decisions by letting certain players go and living to regret those decisions.
No. 5: Trading Greg Olsen to the Carolina Panthers for a 3rd-round pick
In 2006, the Chicago Bears made a surprising appearance in Super Bowl XLI, losing in the rain to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. In the following draft, Chicago added to their offense by selecting tight end Greg Olsen from the University of Miami.
It turned out to be a great move as Olsen racked up over 1900 yards in four seasons but was traded to the Panthers for a 3rd round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, which amounted to nothing for Chicago. Meanwhile, Olsen would catch over 500 passes, over 6,000 yards, and 39 touchdowns while helping Carolina to the Super Bowl after the 2015 season.
Chicago has not found a quality tight end since, and much of the blame goes to Mike Martz, the former offensive coordinator who believed that Olsen was not a fit for the scheme. Not everyone is as great as “The Greatest Show on Turf” personnel that Martz had in St. Louis. The Bears learned it the hard way.