The Chicago Bears have set their sights on QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With Williams being then obvious choice as a franchise QB, the Bears are looking for a trade partner for current QB Justin Fields. According to Michael Fabiano, the market for Fields right now is awful. Chicago is struggling to get a second, even third-round pick for Fields.
It’s no surprise really that the Bears are opting to keep the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, which they acquired in last year’s deal for the top pick with the Carolina Panthers. Chicago has the first pick and ninth pick in the first round of the draft. There’s been a lot of debate as to whether or not the Bears should keep Fields or the pick. With the sentiment that Chicago will take Williams and move on from Fields, the franchise has lost any leverage in a potential deal. Teams know the Bears want to part ways with Fields and have Williams start.
We also know that potential suitors for Fields don’t need him anymore. The Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year deal at the start of free agency on Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders brought in Gardner Minshew to compete with Aidan O’Connell for the starting job (at least for now). The other remaining teams in need of a QB appear set on waiting for the draft, where there’s a deep class of QBs coming out. So it may be tough to find a team who would let Fields start next season and not compete for the job in some capacity.
After 2024, Fields is set to need a new contract off his rookie deal. For a backup QB, Fields would be making a lot if he were to go to another team. He’s owed $6 million in 2024 and could stay with Chicago as the backup to Williams. The Bears could also go into the season with the two QBs competing for the job. Williams could sit behind Fields for a season before taking over as the starter. We’ve seen that work wonders in the past (ex: Patrick Mahomes). But would a move like that hurt Williams’ ego at all? Perhaps but if that’s the case, you’d have question marks out the gate.
