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The Chicago Bears currently have a 98% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick, according to ESPN analytics.
NFL insider Peter King believes that should Bears general manager Ryan Poles choose to trade the first overall selection, the team could net a huge return that includes three first-round picks.
The Bears are fresh from beating the division-leading Detroit Lions, 28-13, Week 14. In his Football Morning in America column on December 11, King laid out what could happen if Chicago’s starting quarterback, Justin Fields, continues to play well.
“The Bears have to block out all the noise over the next four weeks and over the first four months of 2024,” King wrote. “If Justin Fields plays down the stretch as well as he played in beating the Lions Sunday and has played often this season—if, if, if—GM Ryan Poles should auction the first pick in the draft for three ones and build a contending around the 24-year-old Fields. Deep breaths, Chicagoland. Bear down.”
Top QBs Setting Bears Up for Potential Draft Haul if Trade Happens in 2024
Poles has a huge decision to make, no question. North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye has already declared for the NFL draft, and while he hasn’t declared yet, USC’s Caleb Williams electing to sit out of the Holiday Bowl, which is a strong indicator he will also declare.
Both are widely regarded as signal-callers with generational potential. Considering the need for QBs around the league, multiple teams will likely be jockeying to get in position to draft either young quarterback.
Three first-round picks is a definite haul, and it’s not out of the question considering recent history coupled with the hype surrounding QBs both Maye and Williams.
The Cleveland Browns sent a whopping six draft picks, which included three first-rounders, to the Houston Texans in 2022 for quarterback Deshaun Watson. While that’s a deal that has been widely panned ever since, it’s entirely possible one of the current quarterbacks nets an even higher return.
The reality, though, is that Poles will just as likely select Maye or Williams to replace Fields. Unless Fields does something to change the GM’s mind over the next month.
It’s All About Justin Fields Over the Final 4 Games
As King noted, Fields played well in Chicago’s Week 14 victory over Detroit. He went 19-33 for 233 passing yards and a touchdown, also adding 58 yards on the ground and a rushing score. He still continues to take sacks at an alarming rate — he was sacked three times against the Lions in the win — but there’s no doubt he has been looking better and more confident over each of his last five starts.
When asked how the team can ride the momentum of its big win over the Lions into the final four games, Fields had a strong response.
“Keep everything the same, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. Just keep working, keep getting better each and every day,” Fields said. “There’s a lot of spots to improve. … But just going back and keeping that same mindset working and just getting better each and every day.”
If he does continue to improve with each game, he’ll make Poles’ decision all the more difficult.
“Everybody has bought in the past three or four weeks, and we’re all coming together as a team,” Fields said, adding: “I expect nothing but us to keep coming together, keep getting better, and just keep working.”
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