Josh Sitton Trade Rumors: Teams Reportedly Interested in Bears Guard

The Chicago Bears reportedly have been fielding calls for guard Josh Sitton ahead of the 4 p.m. ET trade deadline Tuesday. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news, though no deal is imminent at this time. 

Sitton, 31, is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million contract signed in 2016. The Bears owe him a $7.4 million base salary next season, which is something of a bargain for a guy who's been among their best offensive players.

Sitton has maintained a strong level of play despite making the switch from left guard to right guard this season.

"Football, and I can only really speak for offensive linemen, is a muscle memory thing," Sitton told reporters in August of the move. "When you do something on one side of the ball for so long, your body just gets used to it. It takes a while to train it. Little things, hand placement, missing by an inch or two, your footwork, missing by an inch or two. It takes time to build that muscle memory back."

The Bears have not done much pass protection over the last few weeks, as they've worked rookie Mitchell Trubisky in slowly. Taking away one of his best offensive linemen might only slow his growth more and will certainly affect a solid Bears running game led by Jordan Howard.

Rapoport did not indicate which teams reached out, but odds are a solid mid-round pick will be necessary to consummate a deal.