Getty Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears reacts to an incomplete pass during the third quarter of the NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 12, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have done just about everything they can to signal that Justin Fields is going to be their starting quarterback for the 2023 season, but there are still some reputable analysts who believe they should consider trading away Fields and drafting a new rookie quarterback with the No. 9 overall draft pick.
During the April 12 episode of the Move the Sticks podcast, NFL Network’s top draft analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, brought up an admittedly “wild” scenario that he believes should be a consideration for Chicago in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft.
The pitch? The Bears draft Florida’s Anthony Richardson at No. 9 overall — if he hasn’t been taken in the first eight selections — and trade Fields to another quarterback-needy team to add more draft capital and reset their quarterback clock with a new rookie deal.
Jeremiah knows “everyone’s jaw would hit the floor” if the Bears made a first-round play for a new quarterback, but here’s why he thinks it would make some sense:
Reset the quarterback clock by two years, so you buy two years to be able to live off of a rookie deal. The roster is gonna be in much better shape for a quarterback incoming than it was for Justin Fields when he started his career, so if you’re trying to maximize that five-year window on that rookie contract, you’ve reset it, you’ve got a larger window, you’ve got a better team than you did two years ago, you’re going to have to pay Justin here coming up before the team is really, really good and ready to win, you extend that period out. You could then trade Justin and get some draft capital in return. I don’t know what that would look like. Worst-case scenario you’re getting a two, maybe you get a future 1. You already have all these extra picks, you’ve already picked up D.J. Moore, we’ve reset the quarterback clock, we get extra picks for Justin Fields.
Now, I know in Chicago with the fan base, they’ve grown attached to Justin and Justin’s done some fun things to watch with what he’s done with his legs and glimpses and flashes with his arm. But [Bucky Brooks], I’m telling you, man, has he done enough to not even consider this? Maybe they don’t do it, but I guarantee you this discussion and this scenario has to take place. Tell me I’m crazy.
Anthony Richardson Has High Boom-Bust Potential
GettyFlorida’s Anthony Richardson is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Putting aside how much trading Fields would contradict the Bears’ roster-construction approach over the past several months, there are some legitimate questions about whether Richardson will develop into a franchise quarterback at the NFL level.
Richardson might be the ultimate boom-or-bust quarterback prospect in the 2023 draft class. His measurables are off the charts as a 6-foot-4, 244-pound passer with a good deep ball and a 4.43-second clocking in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. At the same time, Richardson played just one season as Florida’s starting quarterback and didn’t exactly blow people away with his overall performance.
Richardson started 12 games for the Gators in 2022 and completed a subpar 53.8% of his passes (176 of 327) for 2,549 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has the arm strength to make the deep and intermediate passes with Pro Football Focus grading him highly in both categories (93.1 and 85.8, respectively), but accuracy is a primary concern for pro teams potentially looking to invest in him. His efficiency also dipped tremendously when under pressure, earning a rough 41.9 pressure grade.
There is a strong dual-threat component to Richardson’s game that cannot be ignored after he added another 654 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in 2022 and averaged 6.9 yards per carry over the course of his 22-game collegiate career. Then again, Fields has already proved he can fulfill — and outdo — that level of rushing production after gaining 1,143 yards and scoring eight times with his legs in 2022.
Bears’ Best Option Remains Justin Fields for 2023
Jeremiah does make a few good points about Richardson and the Bears. He would be walking into a far better situation than Fields did in 2021 with weapons such as D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Robert Tonyan Jr. and Cole Kmet at his disposal. Chicago would also lock in a quarterback on a rookie deal for the next five years if they took Richardson, whereas Fields will be eligible to start contract negotiations with the Bears as soon as next offseason as a 2021 first-round selection.
Realistically, though? The move would make almost no sense for the Bears, especially with a pair of first-round selections in the 2024 draft that will allow them to revisit the quarterback question — if they wish — when better options are set to be available.
If Fields takes the necessary step forward in 2023 and proves he is Chicago’s guy, then the Bears should be willing to pay whatever it takes to finally solve their historic problem of not having a quarterback. And if the opposite happens, then Bears general manager Ryan Poles will have Chicago’s first-rounder and Carolina’s first-rounder — which itself could be a top-five pick if they struggle in 2023 — to figure out the best path to getting a new passer, such as USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.