Trade with Panthers being reported

That's exactly what happened.  Essentially the "3rd FRP" (in 2025) went from a 1st rounder to a 2nd in return for the best WR the Bears have had since Marshall.  Frankly, I would have done the deal without the 2025 pick altogether but I'm glad Poles was able to squeeze it out of them.  

This is a Trey Lance trade -- 2 1sts and 2 2nds and Moore.  

A GM that makes this kind of move has some job security I would think.  This trade was vetted with ownership in advance, quite sure of that.  If their QB pick busts, then yeah in a couple years he will be in trouble but for now he's safe.

Ballard (Indy GM) on the other hand, is in some real deep doo-doo I think.  He's now getting no better than the 3rd QB off the board, maybe even the 4th.  They will smile for the cameras and tell everyone that whoever they draft was "the guy they wanted all along" but that's BS of course.  Most of us here thought Indy would be our most likely trade partner for the obvious reasons that they couldn't risk what just happened to them, particularly with #2 being a divisional opponent.

Wouldn't you just love to hear what Irsay is saying and thinking right now?  I bet he's PISSED.

You are right, I think in two years the Panthers could be looking for a new GM.

As for Ballard, I was surprised he wasn't fired after this season and I'm glad the Bears didn't hire him as the GM.  I believe that exact scenario will be played out in Indy. They will get a new QB, who could be a bust, then Indy will fire their GM (Ballard) and their HC. You are right Irsay is pissed.  They had a chance to draft a QB at the one spot and they failed. 

I think the Panthers GM is new, so he's going to get enough at least 3-4 years (length of the rookie contract.) He's got time.

UNRELATED QUESTION:

Seeing chatter about the Panthers moved up so they could control the draft and trade down. To me that makes no sense what so ever. Can anyone see it and explain it to me like I'm 5 years old?