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The Chicago Bears thought they finally had their quarterback of the future after drafting Justin Fields in 2021, but just three seasons later, the franchise may have the opportunity to upgrade.
Chicago bet on Fields last offseason, trading the No. 1 overall selection (used on Bryce Young) to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for WR DJ Moore and a draft haul that included the Panthers’ top pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Carolina is 1-8 and dead last in the NFL standings through 10 weeks, meaning there’s a good chance the franchise will send the No. 1 or No. 2 overall pick back to the Bears in a few months.
In an “Early Predictions for the NFL’s QB Carousel in 2024 Offseason” article on November 18, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine predicted that Chicago could trade Fields to the Las Vegas Raiders if the Bears land one of the top two selections from Carolina in 2024.
The Bears [could be] in a position to draft the top quarterback prospect for the second season in a row, and it’s going to be harder to pass on it again. Justin Fields is in the third year of his rookie deal, and his fifth-year option decision is right around the corner. [The Bears] still don’t have a clear answer on what he can do, so it’s completely possible they opt to draft Caleb Williams (or Drake Maye), which would make Fields expendable.
If that’s the case, any team who is on the hunt for a franchise quarterback but won’t have the draft pick to take the top two options could be in play. The Raiders made a move for Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, but with Josh McDaniels out of the building, they are a good candidate. Fields would give them a dynamic, promising quarterback for a new head coach to build around.
Justin Fields Not Currently Worth 1st-Round Pick in Trade
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ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote in October that Fields’ trade value has dropped to a second-round pick following his poor start to 2023. However, Barnwell didn’t rule out a chance Fields could re-establish first-round trade value ahead of the 2024 offseason.
“He looked unplayable through the first three games but on point over the next two, and then he struggled before getting injured in Sunday’s loss to the [Minnesota] Vikings,” Barnwell wrote on October 19.
“There would be plenty of teams interested in taking a shot at developing Fields, given his upside, but I would be surprised if Chicago was in the position to draft Williams and landed a first-round pick for Fields in a trade this offseason — unless he looks like the guy from the [Denver] Broncos and [Washington] Commanders games over the rest of the season.”
Fields hasn’t played since that contest against the Vikings, sitting out the Bears’ previous four games. He will return to the starting lineup in Week 11 when Chicago takes on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
If the 2024 draft began tomorrow, the Raiders would own the No. 16 pick in the first round, per Tankathon. That selection is middling enough that it could be in play via trade if Fields performs well in Chicago’s seven remaining games.
Justin Fields’ Quarterback Clock Running With Bears
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Fields is only 24 years old and playing in the third season of his initial four-year, $19 million rookie contract. The problem is he is about to get considerably more expensive.
If Chicago opts to hold onto Fields, it must decide this offseason whether to pick up his fifth-year option, which will pay the QB north of $20 million in 2025 alone, per Spotrac.
Beyond that, the Bears’ only choices will be to apply the franchise tag to Fields (another one-year solution and considerably more expensive than a fifth-year option) or sign him to a multiyear extension.
From Chicago’s point of view, keeping Fields makes team-building considerably more difficult starting one and a half seasons from now. However, from an opposing team’s perspective, Fields’ contract offers a relatively cheap year in 2024 and a manageable salary in 2025. It also affords said franchise two seasons to develop and evaluate Fields before deciding on a long-term contract.
Meanwhile, drafting Williams or Maye allows the Bears to restart their quarterback clock and build a team over the next four years around a player who may be more equipped than Fields to throw the football at a high level in the NFL.