Sounds Like the Bears Are Indeed Planning to Trade the First Overall Pick

In January, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles gave QB Justin Fields a public vote of confidence. And that pronouncement gave us a sense of relief, not only for the decision itself (which was the correct call), but also for the process.

For once, the Bears got out ahead of the story that could have become unwieldy in an offseason where potential QB movement threatens to shake up the league. And in case you were worried about a backtrack on that specific point, fear not!

Just yesterday, Albert Breer (MMQB) told the Rich Eisen Show that he expects the Bears to (1) keep Justin Fields in place and (2) look to trade the first overall pick. Again, a sense of relief falls over us:

Breer brings it with some money quotes:

• “I’ve talked to enough people there…”
• “My sense is they’re going to move forward with Justin Fields and try to trade the first pick.”
• “He will be their Quarterback in 2023, and they’re either going to try to get someone to trade for that pick or take Jalen Carter or Will Anderson.”

Yes, we all generally expected the Bears to both keep Justin Fields and trade the No. 1 overall pick (mock drafts have been forecasting such a move all offseason). But, hey, confirmation is confirmation. And Breer’s delivery certainly sounds more like sourced reporting than general speculation.

The meat here is that Chicago is looking to trade the pick.

Maybe they’ll be unable to do so. From there, a team that is sticking with Fields as its quarterback will likely land on Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia’s Jalen Carter as top-pick options. Then again, I imagine the Bears’ preference would be to trade down *AND* draft one of those playmakers. It’s the ultimate win-win scenario. One that the Bears are apparently looking to thread the needle to achieve. And one that lines up with their plans that they are, indeed, sticking with Fields.

Now, with that out of the way, the countdown continues: 85 days until the Bears (or whomever owns their pick) go on the clock.