With the No. 1 pick in next month’s NFL Draft in their back pocket, the Chicago Bears are widely expected to trade starting quarterback Justin Fields in the coming days (or weeks).
The Bears own the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick as part of the trade-up for Bryce Young last year. The Panthers finished with football’s worst record at 2-15, giving up the No. 1 selection that will likely end up becoming USC QB Caleb Williams.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the rival Minnesota Vikings are among the clubs expected to inquire about a Fields trade, along with the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders:
“The major quarterback domino that many are waiting to fall is Chicago’s Justin Fields decision. Chicago has not played its hand, and several league sources believe Fields — who has not requested a trade — could probably garner a Day 2 pick in a potential deal. There’s no firm deadline on a trade, though the start of free agency is sort of a soft one. Chicago will need multiple teams in the fray to drive a market, and after asking around, I expect Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Minnesota to be on Fields’ radar.”
The Vikings have yet to make a final decision on starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. The four-time Pro Bowler finished out his contract and is eligible to hit the open market when free agency opens in nine days.
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The soon-to-be 36-year-old Cousins is coming off surgery on a torn Achilles that ended his season back in October. So there’s plenty of risk in committing to Cousins long-term, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Vikings ultimately decided to explore other options.
Fields, who turns 25 years of age tomorrow, had the best season of his young career in 2023. He completed 61.4 percent of his pass attempts for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions to go along with 657 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
