Getty QB Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears may not trade Justin Fields this offseason in favor of drafting a top QB prospect with the No. 1 pick, but if they do, his market should prove robust.
One team without a clear future at the position is the Atlanta Falcons, who have benched second-year starter Desmond Ridder on multiple occasions in 2023 in favor of backup/fringe starter Taylor Heinicke. If the 2024 NFL draft began today, the Falcons would select No. 9 overall — probably not high enough to secure one of the top three or four QBs in a loaded class. And while Atlanta would be loathe to deal its first-round selection to Chicago in exchange for Fields, the team’s second-round pick (No. 41 overall) should be in play.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports on December 22 named the Falcons atop the list of five potential trade partners for Fields, and the argument has only strengthened over the past two weeks.
“Since parting with Matt Ryan, [the Falcons have] failed to even come close to identifying a short- or long-term QB answer,” Benjahmin wrote. “If Arthur Smith sticks around as the coach, Fields could fit as a legitimate rushing threat. If Smith is gone, a new staff could just as easily tailor an offense to the QB’s strengths. Either way, likely to be picking outside the top-10 in 2024, they may need to go the veteran route to secure a signal-caller.”
Bears QB Justin Fields Has Built Back Trade Value Over Past 6 Games
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
Chicago may be able to get more than a second-round pick from the Falcons, or another franchise, in exchange for Fields this offseason given his uptick in play over the past six weeks.
Fields dislocated his thumb in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings but has been a winning quarterback, and then some, since returning to action six games ago. He has completed 60.4% of his pass attempts for 1,213 yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs. Fields has also logged 69 carries for 393 yards and 3 TDs.
The Bears are 4-2 over that stretch — their two losses coming via fourth-quarter comebacks on the road against playoff teams in the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.
Fields was a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in the 2021 draft and finished second all-time in rushing yards by a quarterback in 2022 (1,143 yards) in just 15 games. His contract is cost-controlled over the next two seasons, with the final year of his $19 million rookie deal coming due in 2024 and a fifth-year team option for 2025.
Beyond that, Fields’ teammates view him as a top-10 QB in the league already — independent of what his ultimate ceiling may prove to be.
“No one in here thinks Justin’s not a top quarterback,” a veteran Bears player told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler for a story published January 2. “No one would tell you that. Everyone believes he’s a top-10 quarterback in the league.”
Given Fields’ resurgence over the second half of the 2023 campaign, his favorable contract details and the general need for young, talented QBs around the NFL, the Bears are in position to hold out for something like a late first- or high second-round pick, plus a Day-3 asset as well.
Bears Face Tough Call on QB Justin Fields Due to No. 1 Pick
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
In most scenarios, Chicago wouldn’t dream of trading away Fields at this stage of his career — even despite what can be characterized as stunted growth in the passing game relative to what analysts expected to see from the QB in year 3. However, the rights to the No. 1 overall pick via a trade with the Carolina Panthers in spring 2023 have changed the math on Fields and his tenure with the Bears.
Draft analysts consider both Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of North Carolina potential Hall of Fame-caliber prospects. The Bears passed on CJ Stroud by trading away the top pick in the 2023 draft, and the Houston Texans starter was in the MVP hunt before a concussion sidelined him for multiple games.
Chicago landed a king’s ransom from the Panthers for the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, and Cronin and Fowler cited several NFL executives who believe the Bears could get even more this time around. The team can feasibly trade back just a few spots, remain in the top-5, draft an awesome player like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and still pick up two future firsts and a future second/the equivalent value in an established player.
That type of haul will, at the very least, give general manager Ryan Poles pause before shipping Fields out the door. It could also serve as leverage in negotiations around Fields’ trade value considering what Chicago can get in trade for the top overall pick in 2024 should the Bears decide to ride with Fields into the future.