NFL Team-to-Team Trade Archive
TradeVerdicts records 6 trades between Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos across 1973–2014. Historical franchise identities are normalized to the current franchises here, while each underlying trade keeps its own sourced date, assets, grades, and verdict.
How This Archive Works
This page includes every public TradeVerdicts record in which both current franchises participate. Multi-team trades remain in the chronology when both clubs are part of the transaction.
The page is rendered at build time, so search engines and readers can reach the full chronology without running the interactive selector. The selector remains available for browsing any matchup.
Complete Matchup Chronology
Trade 1
Denver sent wide receiver and return specialist Ike Hill to Chicago on August 2, 1973 for $1. The Bears received two seasons of useful special-teams and depth value from a player acquired for nominal cash.
Read the full sourced trade verdictTrade 2
Chicago Bears received Randy Montgomery from Denver Broncos. Randy Montgomery played all 14 Bears games in 1974, made two starts, and intercepted two passes, providing useful immediate secondary depth. That realized return supports a B- grade for Chicago Bears. The final verdict is Chicago Bears Win, based on the regular-season service and draft value each club actually received after the exchange.
Read the full sourced trade verdictTrade 3
Denver Broncos received Stefan Humphries in the deal with Chicago Bears. Humphries played eight Broncos games and started all eight across 1987 and 1988. Denver received a short but legitimate stretch of starting offensive-line service. That outcome supports a B- for Denver Broncos. The Even Trade verdict weighs documented games, starts, production and connected draft value.
Read the full sourced trade verdictTrade 4
Denver acquired veteran fullback Calvin Thomas from Chicago in early October 1988 for an undisclosed conditional 1989 draft choice. Contemporary reporting said the exact pick depended on Thomas' performance. Thomas appeared in only two regular-season games for Denver and had one rush for no gain, while the surviving draft record does not identify a Bears selection produced by the condition.
Read the full sourced trade verdictTrade 5
Denver sent Jay Cutler and a 2009 fifth-round pick to Chicago for Kyle Orton, two first-round selections and a third-round pick. Orton became Denver's starting quarterback, while the draft haul provided multiple opportunities to reshape the roster. Chicago received the established quarterback it wanted and added Johnny Knox, but Denver controlled the broader package of premium assets.
Read the full sourced trade verdictTrade 6
Denver sent 2014 picks No. 131 and No. 246 to Chicago for No. 156 and a 2015 fifth-rounder that became No. 143 before later movement. The Broncos selected Lamin Barrow with No. 156, but Chicago's No. 246 became Charles Leno, the trade's clear long-term value. That late-round success leaves Denver well behind in hindsight.
Read the full sourced trade verdict