Getty Quarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears reacts against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field on December 24, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears own the top pick in the NFL Draft and have a mountain of cash at their disposal, all of which means only one thing: nothing is off the table.
Poised to make a run at one of the most exciting and lucrative offseasons in recent memory, any failure on the part of the franchise to exhaustively explore every option would be tantamount to professional malpractice. That includes scenarios in which the Bears shop breakout quarterback Justin Fields to see what he might bring back.
The notion appears ludicrous on its face considering the jump Fields made in his second season. The threat he’s already demonstrated as a rusher of the football can’t be argued, and it’s hard to project what his ceiling as a passer might be if Chicago can put legitimate weapons around him. One thing that is a certainty, though, is that Fields will command a massive contract extension two or three years from now.
Former NFL general manager and current analyst Mike Tannenbaum floated a take on the Tuesday, January 10 edition of ESPN’s Get Up suggesting that the Bears trade the former No. 11 overall pick for draft assets considerably greater than what they spent on him two years ago — then reset the QB pay/play clock in Chicago by drafting Bryce Young out of Alabama with the No. 1 overall selection.
.@RealTannenbaum thinks the Bears should draft Bryce Young and trade Justin Fields.
Agree? 🤔
“I would trade Justin Fields, and I’m taking nothing away from him. I think he can be a good, maybe a top-10 quarterback,” Tannenbaum said. “But, if you can get at least a first- and a third-round pick, which I believe you can because so many teams need a quarterback, I’m gonna draft Bryce Young who I think is going to be a better quarterback than Justin Fields. And when I do that and get at least a first- and a third-round pick, I’m resetting Bryce Young’s rookie contract and I’m gonna be able to get at least four starting caliber players.”
Chicago flipped the 20th overall pick and a fifth-rounder to the New York Giants in the 2021 draft to move up nine spots in the first round and select Fields.
Bears Would be Taking Massive Risk by Trading Justin Fields
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field on September 11, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Tannenbaum’s proposal possesses the internal logic required to take it seriously, but it also carries with it a tremendous amount of risk.
The Bears have tried for a century to find a true franchise quarterback and in terms of pure talent, the best they’ve ever come up with is probably Jay Cutler. That is a sad commentary on the team’s ability to evaluate talent under center, regardless of regime, or at least it was until they scooped up Fields.
Fields played in 15 games this season, missing two due to injury concerns. He still wound up just 64 yards shy of the all-time quarterback rushing record with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on just 160 carries, producing a staggering average of 7.1 yards per attempt. Only six running backs in the entire league gained more rushing yards than Fields in 2022, per NFL.com. Based on per game averages, that tally would be only four running backs if Fields hadn’t missed any time.
The Bears quarterback also threw for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with a completion rate of 60.4%, per Pro Football Reference. Fields posted a season-long quarterback rating of 85.2 with tight end Cole Kmet and wide receiver Darnell Mooney as his top two options. A continued upward trajectory as a passer should be expected as Fields gains more on-field experience and the Bears work to add weapons to his arsenal.
Quality QB on Rookie Contract Gives Bears Best Shot at Super Bowl
GettyQuarterback Bryce Young of the Alabama Crimson Tide is one of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft and could end up being the first player selected. (Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
Young, on the other hand, who won the Heisman Trophy two years ago, has shown the ability to be a prolific passer at the collegiate level.
Over the past two seasons, which include 27 starts for Young, the QB has posted 8,200 passing yards, 79 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions while completing nearly 66% of his throws.
The previous three starting quarterbacks at Alabama are all currently starters in the NFL — Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles, Tua Tagovailoa with the Miami Dolphins and Mac Jones with the New England Patriots. An argument can be made that Young is more talented than all of them and should that prove to be the case, Tannenbaum’s suggestion may not be an altogether ridiculous one.
To bolster his argument, Tannenbaum cited an example of an up-and-coming NFL team making the most of quality quarterback play on a rookie contract.
“A great illustration of this, guys, is what happened in Jacksonville,” Tannenbaum said. “Trevor Lawrence is on his rookie deal. They go out and get guys like Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, Evan Ingram, amongst others. So if I can turn Justin Fields basically into six quality players and get Bryce Young, who I think will be the better player, I’m making that move if I’m the Bears.”