The Chicago Bears will reportedly take highly-touted quarterback prospect Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, according to NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s report on The Pat McAfee Show.
Schefter says that the consensus around the league is that the Bears will trade away Justin Fields, but he doesn’t say it is a sure thing. Schefter went on to say that he doesn’t feel the Bears like former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye or former LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels enough to pass on Williams.
One important note made by Schefter is that Caleb Williams doesn’t have an agent at this moment, and an agent would be required for Williams to request to go to Washington in a fashion similar to John Elway or Eli Manning.
Potential Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been a unanimous top prospect since the 2022 season
Caleb Williams first came onto the scene as a backup for Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler. Williams came in when the Sooners were down 28-7 to the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry, and led the greatest comeback in the history of the rivalry.
Caleb Williams vs Texas pic.twitter.com/AGcVxIzzfG https://t.co/PyKdQI7ixG
— Myles (@MCML93) July 23, 2023
Williams saw the field before that in garbage time, but this was the first time he took meaningful snaps in college football. Williams finished out the season as the signal caller for the Sooners before transferring to the USC Trojans with head coach Lincoln Riley.
Williams proceeded to light up the field at USC, passing for 4,537 yards in 2022. His 42 touchdowns to five interceptions cemented him as one of the top upcoming quarterback prospects. Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 as a sophomore.
The two performances that won Caleb Williams the Heisman Trophy 🏆 ⚡️(2022) pic.twitter.com/mCpDpH5HKf
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) December 28, 2023
Williams continued playing at an extremely high level in 2023, but a poorer team performance prevented him from winning the Heisman once again. Regardless, he finished with 3,633 yards passing and 30 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Williams threw the ball 112 fewer times but finished with a career-high 68.6 completion rate.
Former USC running back and fellow Heisman winner Reggie Bush agreed that Williams should be compared to star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, but he even took it a step further in an article from GQ.
“The thing that I think is different between Caleb and Patrick is, Caleb is an explosive athlete. He’s an explosive runner with the football. Mahomes is not an explosive runner with the football. Mahomes is creative, he’s crafty, he’ll buy some time, he’ll get you a first down—but Caleb can take it to the house.”
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has not done enough for the Bears to stick with him over Caleb Williams
The development of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is a point that has been highly contentious among Bears fans. Fields has 6,674 yards passing and has thrown 40 touchdowns to 30 interceptions in his three years with the Bears.
Outside of the passing game, Fields has a massive rushing upside. He had the second-best rushing season for a quarterback in NFL history with his 1,143 yards rushing in 2022.
Along with the 30 interceptions, Fields fumbles a lot as a rusher. He fumbled nine times in 2022 alone, and he has fumbled 16 times as a Chicago Bear. Some fans claim Fields never had a chance to succeed as the Bears organization didn’t provide him with a good enough supporting cast.
I wish Justin Fields had a supporting cast like this 9ers team
— m (@downbadbears) November 22, 2022
The constant attempt to discredit what Justin Fields was able to accomplish last year as a 2nd year QB in his second system with a mediocre supporting cast has reached asinine levels.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) March 4, 2023
Ryan Poles:
– Gave Justin Fields the worst ever supporting cast in Year 2
– Traded pick 32 for Chase Claypool
– Had 110 mil in cap space and used it in 2 LBs and a RG
– Had 110 mil and still has the worst DL in football
– Had 110 mil and still has a horrible OLEmbarrassing.
— I🦃 (@ilannfl) September 11, 2023
There’s a strong argument to be made that Justin Fields has the weakest supporting offensive cast in the NFL
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) May 1, 2022
Others claim Fields had his chance, and that receivers like D.J. Moore should be enough for Fields to show what he is capable of accomplishing with the Chicago Bears. Some also believe he did show enough, and that the Chicago Bears should continue to build around him.
Build around Justin Fields 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ENdUL0hxAJ
— Justin Fields Fan Club (@JustinFieldsFC) February 5, 2024
I truly believe Justin Fields can be a star in this league with the right team and situation. pic.twitter.com/9PhyS8KfDp
— RaHIM Morris🥷🏾 (@HimJ1122) February 4, 2024
And people try to tell me this guy ain’t good 🤡
Bring me Justin Fields. I’m all in. pic.twitter.com/WqFG2fYFek
— Chasoo (@_Chaseee15) January 30, 2024
If the Chicago Bears will in fact move ahead with the trading of Justin Fields, the asking price could be a wide-ranging one. Fields’ ability is unclear, and what teams will be willing to give up for him is unclear as well, especially when considering the fact that the Bears essentially have to get rid of him if they draft Caleb Williams.
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