The consensus among media and the wider NFL is the Chicago Bears plan to take at quarterback at #1 overall. That quarterback will probably be Caleb Williams. While those details won't be sorted out until late April, GM Ryan Poles has to figure out what he'll do with Justin Fields. Some are encouraging the Bears to keep the veteran QB on the roster, letting him hold down the starting job and giving the incoming rookie a chance to adjust. However, most believe the likelier play is the Bears will trade him.
After all, he is certain to have some sort of market. Fields is 25, a tremendous athlete, and showed signs of progress last year as a passer. Combine that with a still affordable contract and somebody is bound to make a solid offer. Recent updates offer an idea of what the Bears could be looking at. It starts with Dave Richard of CBS Sports.
"Enough people believe the Bears will hold on to the No. 1 pick and draft USC's Caleb Williams, citing that it's a better deal financially for them to have him on his rookie contract for as many as five years rather than extend Justin Fields. Folks think Fields will bring back a conditional draft pick that turns into a first-round pick in 2025 if Fields leads his new team to the playoffs."
He was quickly backed up by Matt Miller of ESPN. It sounds like the baseline for any Fields deal centers around at least a 2nd round pick, maybe more, depending on how strong the market is.
"Everyone I spoke to at the Senior Bowl speculated that the Bears will draft Williams first overall and then trade starting quarterback Justin Fields for a package potentially centered around a second-round pick."
Justin Fields' fate will be decided after the scouting combine.
It is likely Poles already has a feel for how things will unfold on the quarterback front after his time in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. However, the combine is where every GM in the league will convene since it will hold the highest concentration of draft talent. That is where he began forging the blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers. It seems reasonable to assume he will start gauging interest from other teams in Fields. Once he has a grasp of the market, he will decide how to proceed. The likeliest outcome is he seeks to get a deal done before the start of free agency in mid-March.
A 2nd round pick would be perfectly acceptable. However, if Poles somehow manages to wrangle a conditional pick that can become a 1st for him, that would be an outright steal. However, there would be one issue. The pick would be in 2025, not 2024. If the Bears want a pick in the 2024 draft for Justin Fields, it is more likely to come in the 2nd round. The only question is whether they get some additional Day 3 picks on top of that.
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