A number of GMs weighed in last week on the Bears' decision to sign on for another year Justin Fields Or it wouldn't be particularly difficult to trade your current starter and go for a quarterback at No. 1 overall. There are no announcements yet for Chicago, but signs point to the rebuilding team starting over at QB.
If the Panthers finish the season in the basement of the NFL and secure the No. 1 overall pick over the Bears, ProFootballNetwork.com's Adam Caplan suggests that Chicago shouldn't expect to give up Caleb Williams. Williams is viewed by most as the top available quarterback in the 2024 prospect pool (though he has not declared this yet) and will be the favorite to go first overall in April.
This report will be checked in as another tick in the “Trading Areas, Draft Its Replacement” column. Before Fields returned from his thumb injury and began a seven-game tryout, it was believed the Bears were trending in that direction. On the other hand, a subsequent report suggested that the team still believed enough Ryan PaceIt would take an impressive prospect to convince GM Ryan Poles to forego his current quarterback. Maybe it will be Williams in the end, and it's hard to imagine the Poles passing on a quarterback at No. 1 overall in two consecutive years.
Two NFL executives view Williams as a player who would have been selected outright Bryce Young And CJ Stroud in this year's draft, with one of those contributors (via SI.com's Albert Breer) just showing off Trevor Lawrence has been a better QB prospect than the USC talent in the last three drafts. Although the latest QB prospect developed by Lincoln Riley didn't live up to his Heisman win as a sophomore, he is still considered a top contender. It will be tempting for a Bears regime that didn't draft Fields to trade for a rookie with a higher ceiling.
The Bears would have to exercise Fields' fifth-year option by May, but if they want to trade the 2021 first-rounder, it will be another team's responsibility to exercise the option. This is how the Jets approached trades in 2021 Sam Darnold to the Panthers, who immediately picked up his fifth-year option. Williams' move to the Windy City would give the team three more years of cost security at the position. With the Bears still rebuilding under Poland, it would certainly make sense for the team to restart to allow for additional roster expansion around a rookie contract.
Fields has shown some elite talent, although much of the Ohio State University graduate's appeal comes from his historic talents in the running game. Fields ran Lamar Jackson's QB single-season rushing record last year, but showed significant weaknesses as a passer. The Bears' attempt to provide Fields with more help led to this DJ Moore Trade that gave the Panthers this year's top pick. QBR still ranks Fields in the bottom quartile, ranking him 23rd out of 29 qualified passers this season. The dual-threat quarterback has slightly increased his completion percentage from 2022 (to 61.4%) but has fewer yards per attempt (6.7, which also ranks 23rd in the NFL).
There are still moving parts here. Neither Poland nor HC Matt Eberflus In 2024, lockdowns will return, with the former a better choice to remain in office with a new president Kevin Warren exert influence now. Williams is expected to explain this soon, but this is not official. The Panthers also have to finish the season in the top draft spot; The Patriots and Cardinals are now just one game behind at 3-11. It is also possible Drake Maye impressed during the pre-draft process — to the point of overtaking Williams — but the former Oklahoma recruit has been in pole position for months.