Chicago Bears urgently looking to trade recent first-round selection

Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The upcoming NFL Scouting Combine gives all 32 teams a chance to evaluate top prospects closely. It also gives all 32 teams the opportunity to discuss other matters, such as trades and other expected player movement. This is where the Chicago Bears could once again be very active, much like last season when they traded out of the No. 1 pick just a week after the NFL Combine ended.

There’s always the possibility the Bears trade the top pick again, but that would be an even bigger surprise this time around with Caleb Williams lurking as a tantalizing prospect. A bigger possibility is for the Bears to trade the QB they selected 11th overall in 2021.

NFL insider says Chicago Bears are eager to trade Justin Fields

Instead of trading the No. 1 overall pick two years in a row, the Chicago Bears are expected to ship Justin Fields out of the Windy City instead. While Fields wasn’t able to develop into a franchise quarterback in Chicago, there’s still hope the soon-to-be 25-year-old can grow into one, and there are plenty of QB-needy teams around the NFL.

With the NFL Combine set to begin on Feb. 26th, the timeline for a Fields trade could be coming very soon.

“I think the bones of a trade will be set next week. There’s some urgency on the #Bears part to get something done.”
NFL insider Albert Breer on Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields decision

What’s the rush? While there are indeed several teams who need a QB, a lot can change over the next few weeks. First off, free agency opens on March 13, and teams can already make plans to sign players who have been released from their contract.

This could mean players like Jimmy Garoppolo and even Russell Wilson become available before free agency officially opens. If so, teams could prefer negotiating a contract at their own desired rate instead of parting with valuable draft capital to take a chance on Fields.

In turn, it makes a lot of sense for the Bears to find their trade partner as soon as possible, before their number of options becomes limited due to teams already addressing the position elsewhere.