Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears could get as much as a first-round draft pick back in exchange for trading quarterback Justin Fields this offseason, at least according to what ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes to be true about his expected trade market.
During his February 6 guest appearance, Schefter told ESPN Chicago’s ‘Waddle & Silvy’ that he expects the Bears to use the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select a new quarterback, presumably USC’s Caleb Williams. He also said that likely means the team will look to trade Fields elsewhere, even though his market could be “limited.”
“I think it will be limited to a certain extent, but it really doesn’t matter if it would be limited because if it were just a couple of teams [interested] — and I think there could be — then that’s all it takes,” Schefter told the radio hosts about interest in Fields.
Waddle and Silvy also asked Schefter whether he believes the Bears can get a second-round pick in exchange for Fields. His colleagues, Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler, wrote in January that “the consensus in an informal poll of league evaluators is that Fields would be worth a second- or third-round pick in a pre-draft trade.”
Schefter, however, seems more certain that Fields could net Chicago a second-rounder.
“Definitely,” he said. “Definitely. I think they might get a 1. I do, yeah.”
When Could Bears Make Decision on Justin Fields?
The Bears have not decided to trade Justin Fields just yet, but that appears to be what most of the NFL expects them to do in the coming months before the 2024 draft.
Schefter previously said on The Pat McAfee Show that the “feeling around the league seems to be that they’ll wind up trading Justin.” Bears insider Brad Biggs also wrote that he spoke with five NFL general managers at the Senior Bowl and their “resounding answer” about Chicago’s quarterback dilemma is they expect them to draft a new one.
So, realistically, when could the Bears trade Fields if they take the expected route?
Schefter did not have any details on a potential timeline for a trade, but the Bears may look to repeat their approach from last offseason. Chicago traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers about a week before the start of the 2023 league year in March, using the NFL Scouting Combine earlier in the month to start talks with other teams.
The same timeline would make sense in 2024, especially if the Bears want to get ahead of the free-agent quarterback market. Fields is going to appeal to teams who want to take a chance on a young quarterback with untapped potential, but those teams could grow impatient once free agency starts and turn their attention to other veteran options, such as Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew and Baker Mayfield.
Unless they feel certain they will still have options on the table around the time of the NFL draft, the Bears would be wise to get the ball rolling long before April arrives.
Falcons Among Favorites to Trade for Justin Fields
Justin Fields is going to have a trade market, even if they only receive interest from a few teams. The question is: Which teams are going to make an offer for him?
Here’s what the odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, say about Fields’ next team:
Right now, the Bears are the odds-on favorites (+100) to have Fields on their roster for the 2024 season, but the Atlanta Falcons (+140) are not far behind. The Falcons have been a popular hypothetical landing spot for Fields given his connections to the state and their desire to plug a quarterback into a talented passing offense, but they could also make a play for a more experienced quarterback in a trade, like Russell Wilson.
The Las Vegas Raiders (+450) are getting the next-best odds behind the Falcons, while the Seattle Seahawks (+750), Pittsburgh Steelers (+1600) and New England Patriots (+1600) round out the top five non-Bears options who could potentially target Fields.