The Washington Commanders have the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, an opportunity for them to land the quarterback that the franchise has been searching for throughout the past few years. While the Chicago Bears have the No. 1 pick and control the outcome of where Caleb Williams lands, the Commanders could change that by offering them a deal they couldn’t refuse.
It’s up to the Commanders and Bears front office to determine if that’s the right move or not. For the Bears, if Williams ends up being a generational quarterback, their fan base will never let that go. If the Commanders send a historic haul to land him and he doesn’t pan out, Washington fans would never let that go. FanDuel proposed four trades for the No. 1 pick, sending the No. 2 pick and three other picks to Chicago from the Commanders.
This would be a historic haul and while it has disaster potential, it’s not the craziest idea for the Commanders. If they truly believe that Williams can be a franchise quarterback, they can deal with trading four picks.
Caleb Williams Enters the Draft Without an Agent
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Williams doesn’t plan to enter the draft with an agent. This is surprising, but more players have started to do so in the past. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens had his contract delayed before finalizing a deal with the team. Bobby Wagner has also represented himself and it worked out well for him.
That shouldn’t change much from the Washington Commanders or Chicago Bears drafting Williams. Other agents can speak poorly of Williams with no one to stick up for him, but that should be understood around the league. Florio is worried that could be the case.
“The risk for Williams comes from the reality that the agents who represent other high-end quarterbacks might (or will) spend the next two months trying to get teams to take their clients instead of Williams. It can get nasty. It can get ugly. It can get dirty. Negativity will be spread about Williams, and he won’t have a connected agent to push back aggressively, with teams and/or media.
“Likewise, Williams will not have the opportunity to fight fire with fire, as an agent works on his behalf to launch the same kind of attacks on other players that other agents will launch on him. (Even if the player isn’t aware what his agent is doing.)”
Should the Bears Trade the No. 1 Pick?
Much of the talk this offseason has been centered around teams trading with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick. However, should the Bears accept a deal from the Washington Commanders or anyone else?
Chicago, similar to other struggling teams, still has questions about their future at the quarterback position. Justin Fields has shown signs, especially with his ability to run, but he hasn’t proven to be a franchise guy just yet.
The Bears should think about it given what they can receive for the pick. It’s important, however, to understand that a franchise quarterback has more value than any pick ever could. The same could be said for the Commanders.
If they believe Williams can be that, they should take him and hold off on the trades from other teams.
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Blockbuster Commanders Pitch Would Send Historic Haul to Bears for No. 1 Pick