It’s NFL Draft season, and that means it’s time for a flood of reports and rumors—some more absurd than others.
A report generating buzz is NFL insider Jason La Canfora’s that some GMs believe the Chicago Bears will trade Justin Fields, their second-year QB. Perhaps the Bears would get a bevy of draft picks and use the No. 1 overall pick on another QB, maybe Alabama’s transcendent Bryce Young.
On its surface, the concept seems sound.
The Bears were the NFL’s worst and least talented team. One way to add talent is through the draft. The other is through free agency, where the Bears have nearly $100 million in cap space, per Spotrac. The team could easily sign a QB in free agency without the risk of drafting one.
A team dealing a former first-round QB shortly after he was drafted is not without precedent. In 2019, Arizona jettisoned Josh Rosen the year it selected QB Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick.
But a deal for Fields might not necessarily get the Bears — and their fans — the haul they might expect. Former NFL executive Mike Tannebaum recently said Chicago could get at least a first- and third-round pick.
But would it get even that?
Chicago certainly would not get the multiple first-round draft pick haul that deals for veteran QBs Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson brought. As such, maybe parting with Fields isn’t the best course of action.
Fields has a 5-20 record as a starter, a completion percentage of 59.7 and a barely more touchdown passes (24) than interceptions (21). The team surrounding him shares blame for these middling passing stats.
Fields is a terrific runner (1,143 yards in 2022), conjuring memories of Michael Vick, but he’s also an injury risk as a dual-threat QB.
Bears fans eager for a Fields trade should be careful what they wish for. Sam Darnold, the third overall pick in 2018, fell out of favor with the Jets. After three seasons with New York, his passing stats were comparable to Fields’. In 2021, Darnold was traded to the Panthers for second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. And regardless of pedigree, draft picks are always a gamble.
The Bears would be better off keeping Fields and using the No. 1 overall pick on a defensive stud to build around. Couple that with a haul in free agency, and Chicago could make a jump in 2023 using the QB they already know.
