Super Bowl LVII is in the books, meaning it’s time for rumors about trades that could impact the 2023 NFL Draft.
Well-known league insider Jason La Canfora tweeted on Wednesday that multiple NFL general managers left the Senior Bowl “fairly convinced” that the Chicago Bears will trade quarterback Justin Fields, presumably so they can select Fields’ replacement via the first pick of this year’s draft.
NFL reporter Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post noted for a piece published on Jan. 27 that some analysts believe Alabama Crimson Tide signal-caller Bryce Young “is a better prospect” than Fields. Meanwhile, current Bears general manager Ryan Poles accepted the job in January 2022 and, thus, didn’t spend a first-round draft pick on Fields back in 2021.
As Charean Williams mentioned for Pro Football Talk, Fields addressed the undeniable trade rumors hovering over his status during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show” ahead of the Super Bowl last week.
“Everybody would love honesty in the process,” Fields said at that time. “I would definitely like to know that. It’s a business, so I totally understand. No hard feelings. But like I said, I control what I can control and control my work ethic and control how I carry myself each and every day.”
Fields led all quarterbacks and was seventh in the entire NFL with 1,143 rushing yards for the 2022 regular season, but Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has since indicated the team wants the 23-year-old to rely more on his arm and less on his legs down the road. According to ESPN stats, the second-year pro ranked 17th with a 54.0 total QBR but was dead last among qualified players with 149.5 passing yards per game. Fields was 32nd out of 34 quarterbacks with a 60.4% completion percentage and recorded 17 touchdown passes, eight rushing scores, and 11 interceptions.
In a mock draft shared on Wednesday, ESPN’s Todd McShay predicted the Bears will trade the first pick and not replace Fields in the upcoming draft. Neither Ryan Wilson nor Chris Trapasso of CBS forecasted Chicago will use the top selection to acquire a new QB1 in their updated mocks.
