ESPN's Adam Schefter has the latest on Bears and 2024 NFL Draft |
There are a lot of rumors about what the Bears will do in the offseason with quarterback Justin Fields and the No. 1 overall pick. On Monday, during an interview with ESPN 1000, ESPN’s NFL expert, Adam Schefter, weighed in on what he thinks Chicago is going to do in the draft.
Draft Caleb Williams First, Schefter said the general consensus around the NFL is that there is a belief the Bears will draft Caleb Williams. Williams is considered the No. 1 prospect in the draft after winning the Heisman in 2022, only having five interceptions for the second season in a row and a second straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. However, Williams has a little less experience with three years as a starter. Furthermore, Notre Dame exposed him this season after he had the worst game of his career against the Irish with three interceptions. That game was Southern California’s first loss as they went on to lose four of their next five after that. So, while there is a lot of talk about Williams and his talent, there are some red flags, particularly resulting from that Notre Dame game. Still, Williams is considered the top prospect and unquestionably has a lot of talent. But, going after Williams would mean trading Fields. What would Chicago get for him? Bears Would Get a 2nd-Rounder, Potentially Even a First-Rounder, for Fields According to Schefter, the Bears would surely get a second-rounder, potentially even a first-rounder, from trading Justin Fields. A second-rounder seems reasonable, but a first? I think that depends on the pick. Schefter did not elaborate on who would give up a first-rounder for Fields, but it would make sense that this would not be a top-10 pick; Fields was not even drafted in the top-10 and has not lived up to the hype. Most teams with a late-round first-rounder are not looking for a quarterback. You would expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to keep Baker Mayfield around after winning the division, beating the defending conference champions and getting voted to the Pro Bowl. So, this would effectively leave the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers currently have Kenny Pickett, former Bear Mitch Tribusky, and Mason Rudolph as their quarterbacks. Pittsburgh does not seem to have confidence in Pickett as they did not start him in their playoff loss. Trubisky was benched after only two games. Rudolph, while better, was not great. With Mike Tomlin being in the final year of his contract, it may be time for Pittsburgh to take a risk on a quarterback like Fields who could surely benefit from developing under a coach like Tomlin. A possibility for a trading partner for the Bears and Justin Fields is the Atlanta Falcons. However, with the Falcons sitting at the No. 8 overall pick, it would make more sense that they would trade for the No. 1 overall pick than Fields. If Bears Do Not Want Williams, They Could Get Value Trading With Washington If Chicago decides to go with a rookie quarterback, Schefter argued they could one spot down with the Washington Commanders and get two first-round picks. This would presumably be their No. 2 overall pick this year and their first-rounder next season, which you would expect to be high given they have a lot of building to do. Part of their building was the acquisition of Kliff Kingsbury as the new offensive coordinator after Kingsbury spent the 2023 season coaching at Southern California as a senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach. Thus, he spent a lot of time with Williams. He is also from D.C., making Washington a good fit for him. This trade would depend on whether the Commanders are willing to give up their first-rounder next season for Williams. Given the kind of prospect he appears to be, it seems reasonable to think Washington may give up next year’s first-round pick for him. For Chicago, this would be a very good trade as it would set them up with the No. 2 overall pick and two first-rounders for the 2025 NFL Draft. Trading down to No. 2, they could do a few different things. First, they could keep Fields and use that pick to draft wide receiver Marvin Harrison. However, if they are after Harrison, they could trade down again to No. 3 to get some extra picks from the Patriots who undoubtedly are looking for a quarterback. Otherwise, they could use the No. 2 overall pick on Drake Maye from North Carolina or Jayden Daniels from LSU, who also won the Heisman this year. Then, they could trade Fields, potentially for a later first-round pick. Williams Does Not Want to Play for Chicago? There have been rumors and speculation that Williams does not want to play for the Bears. Schefter pointed out that Williams does not currently have an agent. However, if he were to acquire an agent in late March or early April, then it is possible he could look to get traded from Chicago if the Bears were to draft him. Therefore, that is also something to keep an eye on this offseason.
