The Chicago Bears have the overall no. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. That makes them first in line to draft USC blue chip quarterback prospect and Heisman Award winner Caleb Williams. They also currently have a young, viable starting quarterback in Justin Fields, who has struggled with inconsistency, but showed signs of solid development by the second half of last season.
This puts Chicago in the difficult position of having to choose between keeping Fields and using their draft picks to build around him or starting over at QB with Williams, hoping for him to be everything they hoped Fields would be.
Embarrassment of Riches in Chicago?
If the team decides to stick with Fields, they will be in possession of big-time trade capital as several teams currently find themselves in need of a high-end quarterback and see Caleb Williams as the man to fulfill their needs. As a matter of fact, several teams, reportedly, have already contacted the Bears, inquiring about the team’s asking price for that highly sought after top draft spot.
According to NFC North News on Twitter/X:
BREAKING: Reports out of Chicago say the #Bears have had FIVE teams call asking what the price for the number one overall pick is.
The five teams are the #Commanders, #Eagles, #Patriots, #Giants, and the #Vikings
Of the teams supposedly asking for trade info, a couple have already been linked, informally, to possible deals with Chicago.
Deal with the Washington Commanders?
In a mock draft trade proposal posted by Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, Chicago would make a deal with the team drafting right below them this year, the Washington Commanders.
In the proposal, the Commanders would send their first round pick (no. 2 overall), their no. 41 pick (basically returning the pick Chicago sent to Washington in exchange for Montez Sweat at last year’s trade deadline), and a 2025 first-rounder to Chicago for the no. 1 overall pick (and a shot at drafting Caleb Williams as their new quarterback).
This particular deal would be a sweet one for the Bears and could work for them regardless of whether or not they decide to move on from Justin Fields. It would require them to give up on Williams, but they could still select QB Drake Maye with their overall no. 2 pick. They could also pick up the highly regarded wide receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. Beyond that, it would bring a solid second-round pick and a no. 1 next year.
Deal with the New England Patriots?
The New England Patriots have also been linked to trade proposal rumors with the Bears.
Per NBC’s Alex Shapiro, the Bears could trade down to number three, swapping picks with the Patriots while also getting New England’s third round pick this year, and a fourth round pick in 2025.
Pete Martuneac of Bearstalk.com sees a scenario where a trade with the Patriots gets them the overall no. 3 pick, along with New England’s second and third round picks this year.
Admittedly, the deal proposals with the Patriots are slimmer than the one with the Commanders. However, they’d still bring in a considerable haul of talent while giving Chicago access to an elite-level draft pick.
There’s also the possibility of the Bears structuring a deal which would include a mix of draft picks and a veteran player, similar to the pre-draft trade they made with the Carolina Panthers last year. In that deal, they traded their overall no. 1 pick in exchange for Carolina wide receiver DJ Moore, the Panthers’ no. 9 pick, the Panthers’ No. 61 pick, plus a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick. It’s this deal that’s bringing the Bears a second straight overall no. 1 pick and giving them this second opportunity at a talent windfall.
Whatever the case, the clock is officially ticking in Chicago.
1 Comment
The answer on the keep/replace Fields question is easily answered by choosing one of the following: 1. Are the Bears more likely better off in 2024 with Fields at QB and Harrison Jr as the second wr and a bunch of first and second round picks in the 2024 and 2025 draft after they make their first pick in the 2024 draft first round; or, 2. Are the Bears more likely better off in 2024 with Williams at QB and Darnell Mooney at the second wr and no additional new picks in the first and second round of the 2024 and 2025 drafts after the Bears make their first pick in the first round of the 2024 draft? All the other stuff about generational talent is bogus. Here is a list of the qb’s drafted in picks 1, 2 and 3 of the 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 drafts: K. Murray, J Burrow, T Lawrence, Z. Wilson, T Lance, B Young, CJ Stroud, and A Richardson. How many of them are playing in the 2023/2024 playoffs?