Getty Dante Pettis, right, could give the Bears an unexpected trade chip for 2023.
The Chicago Bears are poised to have a much better opening-day receiver room in 2023 than they did last season with D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool and rookie Tyler Scott now in the fold, but could their influx of talent also set them up to potentially trade one of their depth contributors to a needier team?
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently floated the idea of the Bears potentially shopping veteran wide receiver/return specialist Dante Pettis in trade talks to see if his unique blend of experience and special teams utility could draw interest from teams.
The 27-year-old Pettis caught 19 passes for 245 yards and three scores for the Bears in 2022 and fielded 18 punts for an average of 9.1 return yards after third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr. was benched. He also just signed a new one-year contract with the team in April, but that was before Chicago used a fourth-round pick on Scott in the draft.
With Pettis now fighting for reps behind the starters with two recent draft picks and Equanimeous St. Brown, the Bears may prefer to flip him for a future pick instead.
“With Jones also capable of returning punts, the Bears should see if another team can use Pettis while they have the chance to trade him,” Knox wrote in his June 5 article of trade candidates for each team. “He’s one of four Chicago receivers set to be a free agent in 2024 — along with [Darnell] Mooney, Claypool and [Equanimeous] St. Brown — and is the least likely to return.”
Bears Have Alternative Options for Return Duties
GettyVelus Jones Jr. is also vying for the returner job with the Bears in 2023.
Entering the final week of OTAs, Pettis is standing on shaky ground with the Bears. He knows Luke Getsy’s offensive system and has familiarity with quarterback Justin Fields, but he also had a number of crucial drops in 2022 — several on third down — and struggled with his consistency, raising questions about his reliability as a receiver.
The real proving ground for Pettis will be as a return specialist, where he made his biggest impression in 2022. But can he outlast the competition once camp begins?
The biggest threat to Pettis’ status on the roster is Velus Jones Jr. whom the Bears are counting on to have a stronger sophomore campaign after he disappointed as a rookie. Jones’ dynamic ability as a returner was a big reason why the Bears drafted him in the third round last year, but his success in college did not translate smoothly to the NFL. Fortunately, there were flashes of big-play ability from him toward the end of the year, including an inspiring 63-yard kickoff return in Week 17’s loss to Detroit.
If Jones can figure out how to harness the ability he showed in the closing weeks of last season and, more importantly, limit his mistakes in Year 2, he has a chance to firmly stake his claim to returner duties in 2023 and push Pettis to the back burner.
The Bears also signed another kick-return candidate in free agency with running back Travis Homer. He returned 18 kickoffs in his first three seasons with Seattle, averaging 24.7 yards per return and reaching the end zone on a 44-yard return in 2021. He also took a direct snap on a fake punt 73 yards to the house during the 2021 season.
Considering the Bears have stronger commitments to both Jones (three years left on his rookie deal) and Homer (signed a two-year deal in March), Pettis could rather easily find himself on the roster bubble if he doesn’t decidedly beat them out in camp.
Would Dante Pettis Even Have a Trade Market?
GettyDante Pettis might be expendable, but would another team give up a pick for him?
The Bears would stand to benefit from any trade involving Pettis. Getting something for Pettis, even a sixth- or seventh-round draft pick, is better than just deciding to cut him. It seems unlikely, though, that Pettis would fetch much interest on the trade market.
Despite being a former second-round pick, Pettis has never established himself as a formidable receiving weapon. He had plenty of chances with Chicago in 2022, playing in all 17 games and starting in seven of them, but he caught less than half the number of passes thrown his way (19 of 41) and — while more reliable than Jones on returns — was far from explosive as a return specialist for the team, even muffing one of his punts.
In all likelihood, if a team does decide they are interested in taking a chance on Pettis, they will most likely wait to see if the Bears waive him at the 53-man roster deadline instead of giving up an asset for him. The Bears would only be left with $152,500 in dead money from Pettis’ $1.092 million contract if they cut or traded him before the season, according to Over the Cap, so it isn’t out of the question that they could cut their losses if he is outperformed during this summer’s training camp.
Unfortunately, for right now, a Dante Pettis trade is little more than a pipe dream.
