Bears Trade Pitch Deals $24 Million Starter Following Rough Season

Ben Johnson plans to revamp the Chicago Bears’ offense around quarterback Caleb Williams in 2025.

Could his method involve asking the organization to trade away one of its highest-paid offensive starters, as the Detroit Lions did during his tenure?

According to Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, seven NFL deals might “shake up” the upcoming free agency period and 2025 draft. He included one on D’Andre Swift, the starting running back.

The proposed trade: The Bears would send Swift and the remaining two years of his $24 million contract to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for their 2025 fifth-round pick (No. 144 overall).

Swift’s potential trade candidacy has been discussed since Johnson’s hiring in January, largely because of their short-lived history with the Lions. Swift saw the fewest carries (98) and played the fewest offensive snaps (393) of his career in 2022 during his lone season with Johnson as his offensive coordinator.

The Lions traded Swift to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft day in 2023, following the signing of David Montgomery and the selection of Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round. Moton suggested that the Bears could follow suit.

“Johnson may — again — approve a trade that would send Swift to another team. If so, the Raiders would be a logical fit,” Moton wrote. “In 2024, the Raiders fielded the league’s worst ground attack. They need a full-scale backfield renovation.”

Speculation about Swift’s future in Chicago is not entirely derived from Johnson.

Swift struggled to live up to expectations during his first season with the Bears in 2024 after signing a three-year, $24 million deal last March. While he nearly eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, he registered a career-low 3.8 yards per carry on a career-most 253 carries and rushed for fewer than 40 yards in seven games.

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