Getty Quarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
There are so many different ways the intertwining fate of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and his team’s choice of what to do with the top pick in the NFL draft could work out, it would take days to thoroughly explore them all.
Generally though, the notion is that either the Bears will trade Fields and select a quarterback at No. 1, or they will trade the first selection and use all they get back to build around the current starter. However, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports on Wednesday, February 7, concocted a different chain of events in which the ultimate outcome is entirely new.
In Trapasso’s mock draft, he predicts the Bears will send Fields to the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick this year (No. 74 overall) as well as a conditional pick in 2025. That second selection would start off in the third round. It would bump up to second-round value if Fields plays 75% of the Falcons’ snaps next season, and it would leap into the first round if Atlanta makes the playoffs in Fields’ first year with the team.
Then instead of selecting QB Caleb Williams out of USC, which most around the NFL believe Chicago plans to do, the Bears instead trade out of the No. 1 slot with the Washington Commanders. In return, Chicago receives the second overall pick, the No. 43 selection (second-round) and No. 79 pick (third round) in this year’s draft, as well as the Commanders’ 2025 first-rounder and a third-round choice in 2026.
Bears Can Land Massive Draft Haul for Moving Back One Spot, Allowing Commanders to Draft Caleb Williams
GettyUSC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Trapasson’s dual proposal, while highly specific, tracks quite well with the developments and reporting from national sources around the league over the past several days.
First, both ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on February 3 and ESPN’s Adam Schefter on February 5 reported that the majority of executives around the NFL they have spoken with believe the Bears will ultimately trade Fields.
The general consensus is that he is worth a second-round pick in return, though two thirds with the possibility of one of them moving into the second or first rounds based on performance offers a similar value to a package made up of something like a guaranteed second and a guaranteed fourth.
Atlanta is also a team that has been mentioned time and again as a potential suitor for Fields, at least in part because he matches the career timelines of running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London. Beyond that, the Falcons won’t pick until No. 8 in this draft, which is likely too low to nab a top QB prospect.
Furthermore, the Commanders just hired Kliff Kingsbury as their new offensive coordinator. Kingsbury served as one of Williams’ coaches at USC last season, which has led to widespread speculation that the USC quarterback is now firmly Washington’s player of choice. If the franchise can work out a deal it feels is reasonable to trade up for Williams, the Commanders will at the very least make a phone call to the Bears to talk it over.
Bears Could Easily Pivot to Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye for Right Trade Offer From Commanders
GettyQuarterback Jayden Daniels of the LSU Tigers.
A great many factors would have to domino perfectly for Trapasso’s mock draft prediction to prove exactly right. However, the basis of the notion rotates around a strong internal logic.
Fields probably won’t be the starting quarterback of the Bears next season. According to Fowler and Schefter and all their sources around the league, Williams likely will be via the No. 1 pick.
That said, Jayden Daniels of LSU or Drake Maye of North Carolina could wow the Bears to the degree that they’re willing to move off Williams for an extra four picks over the next three drafts, including a 2025 first, if all doing so means is moving down one spot and still drafting a generational QB this April.
In Trapasso’s version of events, Chicago settles on Daniels with the second pick. The Heisman Trophy winner threw for 40 TDs compared to just four INTs and, much like Fields, is a dynamic playmaker with both his arm and his legs.
The primary difference, however, is that Fields’ contract is only cost-controlled for two more seasons, while Daniels offers the Bears five years of reasonably-priced play at the most important and expensive position on the field.
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