The Chicago Bears dilemma rages on. Justin Fields showed signs of major development this past season and sustained flashes of becoming the quarterback the team hoped he could become. However, the team also has the no. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft and access to top-rated quarterback prospect and Heisman award winner, Caleb Williams, who many feel may be a generational talent.
So, what do the Bears do? Should they hold on to Fields and continue to build around him, working under the knowledge that they’ll soon have to pay up a hefty sum via Fields’ fifth-year option? Or do they reset the money clock by grabbing at Williams and gambling on him being as good as the scouts say?
Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire compiled a list of trusted football media sources to gauge where they stand on the whole “Keep Fields vs. Draft Williams” debate. Predictably, most felt that Chicago would trade Fields in favor of starting fresh with the USC star, Williams. As a matter of fact, representatives from ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, Draft Network, 33rd Team, Chicago Sun-Times, Sports Illustrated, and Bears Wire all saw Williams coming to the Bears at no. 1 and Fields going elsewhere.
Media Experts Who Feel Bears Will Keep Justin Fields
There was some dissent among the media voices, though. Here are the two sources who went against the grain and saw the Bears standing pat with Fields.
Joe Broback of Pro Football Network envisioned a scenario where Chicago would trade their no. 1 pick, plus their 2025 sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the division rival’s overall Nos. 11, 42, and 126 picks this year, plus first and second-round picks in 2025.
Per Barbieri, Chicago would then select WR Rome Odunze of Washington with their remaining first round pick (no. 9 overall).
“With Chicago making a statement on Justin Fields, the Bears shift their focus to loading up the offense for him. Another wide receiver certainly would help the offense, so they take Rome Odunze with their first pick in this 2024 NFL Mock Draft.
Some believe Odunze is the best receiver in this class, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him drafted higher. There shouldn’t be much debate if he’s still available when Chicago picks here.”
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News sees the Bears possibly keeping Fields and selecting the top-rated wide receiver of the 2024 class (and some say the top player, overall), Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State with their overall no. 1 draft pick.
“If they stand pat, it would be awesome to add Harrison to help Fields after seeing the huge impact of giving him D.J. Moore.”
Ex-Bear Thinks Team Should Keep Justin Fields, Trade Draft Pick(s)
Former Chicago Bears defensive end, Jared Allen, is not exactly a media pundit, although he does appear in a video podcast posted on 33rd Team. The former NFL star is also firmly in the “Keep Fields” camp.
“If I’m [Bears President and CEO] Kevin Warren…I’m looking at: Does he fit the system in which we want to play? Do we have the coaching staff to get him to the level he’s capable of, because he’s shown signs of it. And what does he look like if he has the parts around him? So, to be honest, I don’t know if you take a risk on a Caleb [Williams]. I don’t think there’s a no. 1 guaranteed to come in and be the guy. [There was a lot of] hype around Williams, but USC didn’t have that great of a year…
You could stack picks [if you trade the no. 1 pick) and I think there’s enough quarterbacks in this draft that you could grab a solid backup just in case Fields doesn’t work out. You could surround him with parts…There are a lot of teams that might be just a quarterback away that’ll trade up. I would probably trade those picks back and keep Justin Fields, bolster that defense. Let’s be honest, Chicago is never gonna be the place that you’re gonna throw the ball 50 times a game and be successful.”
The Bears quarterback debate rages on. And, although the clear consensus opinion is that the Bears will draft Caleb Williams, thereby ending the Justin Fields era in Chicago, there remain some smart football people who feel otherwise.