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Which of the following the Chicago Bears in exchange will do with the top overall pick in 2024 and how it affects quarterback Justin Fields’ future are two of the major stories going into the draft. Due to the Panthers having the worst record in football, the Bears, who traded the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in 2023, will once again have the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But the question of whether they will keep Fields as their quarterback heading into a crucial 2024 season looms with this first-round selection. Despite Fields’ exceptional talent, it’s unlikely that he will be selected first overall again anytime soon, so it would be best to start over with a new quarterback and recover as many picks as possible.
There are rumors that Fields may decide to stay in Chicago, and that the Bears may trade out of the first overall pick once more in order to focus more on developing the young quarterback. Peter King of NBC Sports stated in his Football Morning in America piece on Monday that keeping Fields and trading for the first overall pick is “the way the wind is blowing” for Chicago.
Although King claims he doesn’t know for sure, he is interpreting the tea leaves based on his interactions with others. King notes that Bears general manager Ryan Poles has the ability to significantly strengthen the Bears’ roster by going back and acquiring more elite players, possibly making two trades—one with Washington and the other with Atlanta. Chicago would therefore have several early selections in both this year’s and the following year’s draft, which would greatly help the team right away.
Regarding the option of keeping Fields strongly vs. trade Fields scenario, there are currently two schools of thought: trading Fields gives you the opportunity to start over with a quarterback and his rookie deal, allowing the rest of the club to be built around them. This is in contrast to what I previously mentioned. This year, Fields will become available for his fifth-year option; it remains to be seen if Chicago signs him to that in the unlikely event that they decide to keep him.
In comparison, Fields, who was born in 1969, is still relatively unknown. Even while he hasn’t been a total failure in the NFL, his performance hasn’t been good enough to choose him over a rookie like Caleb Williams of USC. This would allow Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus greater flexibility in assembling the team and adding experience to a younger group that has been decimated since 2021. Chicago’s 2024 season is crucial, and Eberflus must achieve some noteworthy outcomes in the third season to be eligible to return to the position of head coach in 2025. With a fresh quarterback, he can buy himself some time.
Regarding the matter of keeping Fields, the argument is straightforward: Fields is still a relative unknown at quarterback, but he has the potential to be effective if he is freed from the playcalling that has plagued his first few years as a full-time starter. Now that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has left Chicago, the plan is to keep Fields and choose additional elite receivers in order to provide the quarterback with even more tools and resources to help him flourish in the NFL. Having brought in Shane Waldron from Seattle, he may now use WRs Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. DJ Moore is in Chicago, but that’s it. Due to his free agency status, Darnell Mooney is unlikely to return, and the offensive line may potentially
The Bears would essentially be in the same predicament as Fields if they selected a quarterback in the draft, and Chicago would have squandered another quarterback due to a weak roster. Additionally, Waldron has expertise making the most of castoff quarterbacks, including as two-time Pro Bowler Geno Smith. The Bears have greater motivation to hang on if Waldron can perform the same miracles with Fields that he accomplished with Smith.
The NFL Draft will officially begin with Fields’ selection. Teams all over the league will be modifying their draft boards based on what they do with Fields and the first overall choice, regardless of whether a trade occurs on draft night or during the Combine in Indianapolis. Until something is done, expect the rumblings on both sides of the argument to get louder.
