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The Chicago Bears are at least trying to sound like they could keep Justin Fields, but the consensus from people around the NFL is they should draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick and don’t think twice about it.
One AFC personnel executive told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin it’s “not even a debate” for the Bears, and they should trade Fields to a team like the Atlanta Falcons for what they can get “and keep it moving.”
At least one part of that equation could get decided very soon. Bears general manager Ryan Poles told reporters this week they aren’t necessarily in a rush to move Fields, but seemed to indicate they would like to get a resolution to the situation sooner than later:
“It just depends on what opportunities pop up. I will say this: If we go down that road, I wanna do right by Justin as well. No one wants to live in gray. I know that’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t wanna be in that situation either. So we’ll gather the information. We’ll move as quickly as possible. We’re not gonna be in a rush. And (we’ll) see what presents itself and what’s best for the organization.”
Teams that are in the market for a quarterback and might not be in position to select one of the top players in the draft could be active on the trade market. They will likely want to get an answer at that spot either before the start of free agency or soon after it begins to plan the rest of their offseason.
The Bears aren’t going to say exactly what their plan is for the No. 1 pick at this point, both because they don’t have to and it can increase their leverage in trade talks with teams that might be interested in moving up.
There does seem to be a growing consensus that Williams will end up in Chicago as the top pick in the draft. The 22-year-old told ESPN’s Pete Thamel he would “be excited” if the Bears drafted him.
“If I get drafted by the Bears, I’ll be excited,” Williams said. “If they trade the pick, and I get drafted by someone else, I’m just as excited. Speaking about Chicago, they have a talented team, a talented offense and defense. For anyone to be in that situation, I think they’d be excited.”
The Bears will be looking to solve their longstanding issue of finding a franchise quarterback this offseason. Williams certainly has the profile of a player who can fill that void with some favorable comparisons to Patrick Mahomes when he was a prospect.
