The Chicago Bears have the resources to set the tone for the NFL offseason across the entire league.
Armed with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, upwards of $57.5 million in cap space, and a war chest that includes three selections in the top 75 picks, general manager Ryan Poles can execute an organizational reset, starting with the quarterback position, in the weeks and months ahead.
“Chicago is definitely trading Justin Fields,” a league source with knowledge of the Bears’ thinking told me over the weekend. “It’s just a matter of when, and to whom.”
Beyond the opportunity to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams, should the Bears follow through on trading Fields for even more draft capital, the flexibility under the cap presents the chance to author a quick turnaround in 2024.
Are The Bears The Next Houston Texans?
Last offseason, it was the Houston Texans, who came away from the No. 2 overall pick with quarterback C.J. Stroud, boldly traded up to add elite pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick, before rapidly rising from worst-to-first in the AFC South and winning a playoff game.
One analyst believes the Chicago Bears have the flexibility and the pieces in place to be this year’s version of the Texans.
“If there is a team that has the potential to be this year’s version of the 2023 Houston Texans,” Jeffri Chadiha writes for NFL.com. “Then it is unquestionably the Bears. GM Ryan Poles has spent the last two years to trying to assemble something that can be recognized as a playoff contender. Making several smart, aggressive moves this offseason will go a long way toward putting his team in that category. The first decision is obvious: trading quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears still don’t know what he can become, but with one year remaining on his rookie contract (not including the fifth-year option), they do know they’re nearing the point where they would have to pay him immensely to find out. Moving on from him allows Poles to reset his vision for this franchise with a quarterback he chooses with the first overall pick in the draft — a player most assume will be USC’s Caleb Williams. Poles also has the opportunity to take another impact player with the ninth overall pick, which makes his free-agency decisions all the more critical.
“Poles wants to be in a position to take what he wants in April, not what he needs, and that means being wise with the $75.5 million of projected cap space he will be working with when free agency begins. You’ve already seen the name Chris Jones mentioned with two teams in this column, and you’ll see it once more with this franchise. The Bears defense improved immensely in the second half of last season. Combining a disruptive force like Jones with a talented edge rusher like Montez Sweat — who arrived in a midseason trade last year — would keep that train moving in the right direction. Poles worked in the Chiefs’ front office before taking the Chicago job, so there’s already familiarity there. A less expensive option could be edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who was one of the more underrated factors in Houston’s rise to division champs last year.”
The Chicago Bears will have a more daunting climb in the NFC North, given the abundance of young talent on the Detroit Lions roster. However, Poles and the Bears have the resources to be a team on the rise this upcoming NFL season.