Getty Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
The Chicago Bears rumors are already swirling about the future of quarterback Justin Fields following their season-ending loss to the Green Bay Packers, especially with the team owning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
After having an exit meeting with general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus on the NFL’s Black Monday, though, star wide receiver DJ Moore does not sound like he is expecting them to make a change at quarterback for the 2024 season.
“I bored him up, of course,” Moore said Monday when asked if Fields came up in his meeting, via Adam Jahns of The Athletic. “I mean, he’s the quarterback of the Chicago Bears until otherwise, and I don’t think that’s changing anytime soon. We’ll see.”
Moore caught 96 passes for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns — all career-highs — in 2023 during his first season with Fields as his quarterback. He has also been a strong advocate for Fields to remain the Bears’ starter throughout the closing weeks of the season as reporters have continued to pepper him with questions about his future.
Still, the Bears have a weighty decision to consider. If there is a quarterback they love in the upcoming draft — such as USC’s Caleb Williams, whom some scouts consider elite — they could take him at No. 1 overall and reset the clock on their starting quarterback’s rookie contract. Of course, there is no guarantee a top rookie would fare any better.
“For Justin to be here? It’ll be amazing,” Moore said, via NBC Sports. “Nobody really wants to start all the way over and either have a losing season again or maybe have a … Joe Burrow? You could have that kind of season. You never know. It’s a hit or miss.”
DJ Moore Appreciates Having ‘A Voice’ With Bears
Moore might not get what he wants at the quarterback position in 2024. While the locker room appears to have rallied behind Fields, Poles and the rest of his front office are not the ones who selected Fields in the first round of the 2021 draft. They have every right to consider making a change with the No. 1 pick if their scouting process turns up a quarterback prospect whom they believe can lead them to new heights.
Aside from Williams, the 2024 class also includes UNC’s Drake Maye, who could also be a consideration for the top selection. He does not possess elite athleticism or a game-changing ability with his legs like Fields or Williams, but he is a much more consistent passer, operating precisely both inside the pocket and when throwing on the run.
The Bears also have their own first-round pick, No. 9 overall, to consider using on a quarterback, if they are more interested in one of the prospects outside of the top two. LSU’s Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy for the 2023 season and could be the third quarterback off the board in 2024. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Box Nix — who both received votes — may also end up as first-round picks.
Whatever happens at quarterback, Moore is just glad to have “a voice” with the Bears.
“When it comes out, whatever happens happens, maybe it is what I said they do or not,” Moore said. “It really is not up to me, but just to have a voice on it is pretty good.”
Bears May Keep Justin Fields & Draft Marvin Harrison Jr.
The Bears could go several ways with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, but there is one non-quarterback on the board that fans would love to see targetted in the first round if the team elects to keep Justin Fields: Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison is widely considered the best receiver in the NFL draft and could potentially be a top-three pick depending on how many quarterbacks are drafted at the top. And with two quarterback-needy teams — Washington and New England — sitting behind Chicago in the order, Poles could realistically move down to either No. 2 or No. 3 with one of them and still keep himself in position to draft Harrison outside the No. 1 spot.
Moore would certainly not mind Harrison joining the Bears’ receiving corps.
“I grew up with Marvin Harrison. We ran on the same track team,” Moore said last week. “Whatever we do [in the upcoming draft], we get him, it’ll be all love. We don’t and we go a different route, I mean, what can I do about it?”