The Chicago Bears landed the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and traded it to build around quarterback Justin Fields. One year later, the Bears’ front office faces a similar choice between Fields and the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In March 2023, Chicago traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver D.J. Moore, the ninth-overall and 61st overall picks in 2023, a 2024 first-round selection and a 2025 second-round pick. Fast forward to 2024, the rights to Carolina’s pick turned into the first selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Fields improved as a passer this past season, showing a strong connection with Moore. Chicago has also expressed extreme confidence in its young signal-caller, expressing a belief that Fields can be the face of the franchise. However, the decision for general manager Ryan Pace is complicated.
While Fields has the support of the Bears’ locker room, the best move for an NFL franchise is to reset the contract clock at quarterback. Fields will be due for a lucrative contract soon, whereas a quarterback taken with the No. 1 pick would be under team control for five seasons.
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What will the Chicago Bears do with the first pick?
Amid rumors of USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams not wanting to play for Chicago, speculation that has since been disputed, there’s an ongoing debate over what the Bears should do with the first pick. Coming out of the Senior Bowl, however, many around the NFL believe the decision is already made.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday that “most people” he talked to at the Senior Bowl believe the Bears are going to trade Fields this offseason and use the No. 1 selection on a quarterback.
Importantly, there is still widespread debate around the NFL regarding which quarterback Chicago would pick. While many view USC Trojans star Caleb Williams as the consensus best player in the 2024 NFL Draft class, there are still many around the league who believe North Carolina’s Drake Maye is the superior prospect.
Whether Chicago prefers Williams or Maye, there is widespread thinking in the NFL that Fields will be playing for a new team in 2024. With that being the expectation coming out of the Senior Bowl, it stands to reason there will be a lot of NFL trade rumors surrounding Fields at the NFL Combine later this month.
