Last year, the Chicago Bears traded their "earned" first-overall draft pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a few of their draft picks. Now, thanks to the Panthers' bad season, the Bears are at the top of the board again this year, holding the rights to the Panthers' first-round pick which happens to be number one.
The speculation and borderline expectation around the league is the Bears' plan to trade quarterback Justin Fields before draft night and select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with their number one pick. Fields will be entering his 4th season in the league and has still not solidified himself as the franchise quarterback the Bears hoped he would be.
But that is not a done deal just yet. FS1's Colin Cowherd started some drama in Chicago this past week, saying Williams does not want to be drafted by the Bears. He was then instructed to walk those comments back but still was able to keep the rumors swirling.
In a conversation with Chicago's 670 the Score afternoon show, he said he spoke to a USC contact who said at least 5 different NFL franchises have reached out to USC to do a general background check on Williams. He said all these teams have a plan to offer trade packages to Chicago in exchange for the first pick that would guarantee them drafting Williams.
The Bears started their offseason by retaining head coach Matt Eberflus and saying they feel confident about where the franchise is and winning moving forward. Maybe some of that confidence and continuity is rooted in Fields as the quarterback.
If so, here may be the teams that contacted USC and are potentially planning on offering packages for the first-overall pick.
1. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are starting a new era in Foxboro for the 2024-25 season. It's (probably) safe to say legendary quarterback Tom Brady is fully retired and not coming back and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Bill Belichick. With former player and now head coach Jerod Mayo at the helm, they'll look to start a new legendary run.
One would have to believe a quarterback is at the forefront of the Patriots' mind as the Mac Jones era is likely coming to an end. The Patriots can be trade partners with the Bears for Justin Fields, but why not go for the first pick?
The Patriots currently sit third in line for the draft behind the Bears and the Washington Commanders. The Commanders are undoubtedly going to be taking a quarterback with their pick. If the Patriots could move ahead of them in a trade with the Bears, this would make things easier for both sides.
The Patriots would undoubtedly want to draft the guy they want (Williams) instead of waiting to see who is left for them. Plus, if the Bears do decide to trade down, this is the best possible place for them to be. The vote of confidence in Fields would give him a boost and the Bears would be able to take the top wide receiver on the board, Marvin Harrison Jr., with the third pick. There's another weapon for Fields to showcase what he has.
2. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders sit just one place behind the Bears in second, but that should not deter them from looking into a trade. The Commanders are desperate for consistency at the quarterback position, and while they're guaranteed one of the top two players, they can guarantee getting their guy by moving up to the top.
It's widely expected Caleb Williams is going to go first. So, if the Commanders are content and zoned in on Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, or another top quarterback prospect, maybe they're okay with staying in the second spot.
But, as we heard from Cowherd, Williams is from the Washington, DC area. He may want to play for his hometown team. Williams could make a public play and say he wants to play for the Commanders. That would crush any leverage the Bears have for a trade and make it easy for Washington to trade up at minimum cost.
Colin Cowherd said Williams has no plans of pulling a move like John Elway or Eli Manning, so whoever takes him is who he is going to play for. But if the Commanders want him, they need to go get him before another team provides the Bears an offer they cannot refuse.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of work to do to get themselves back into contention. The only good things going for them seem to be their shiny new home that is hosting this year's Super Bowl and the fact that Josh McDaniels is not their head coach anymore.
Former linebacker Antonio Pierce took over in the interim and lit a fire under this team. They had a number of impressive wins late, including in Kansas City on Christmas Day, and he earned himself the chance to be the next head coach. Now, they need to find a way to move forward.
Whether they like it or not, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be around and be paid a lot of money for it. Brian Hoyer and Aidan O'Connell, last year's 4th-round draft pick, are also on the roster. But none of these names move the needle as the franchise quarterback.
The Raiders currently have the 13th pick in the upcoming draft. They would still be able to acquire a top player, but if there is an early run of quarterbacks selected, they stand no chance of improving that position.
The Raiders have the draft capital to throw a Hail Mary play to the Bears for the top spot and guarantee them a quarterback of the future. Along with their draft picks, defensive lineman Max Crosby could be an additional part of a trade package to entice the Bears to drop that low into the first round.
4. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons thought they found a steal in 2022 by drafting quarterback Desmond Ridder in the 3rd round. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The offense is not clicking, and the Falcons now need to move forward.
A lot of speculation has them in the market for a veteran quarterback. With elite talent like Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson on the offense, they are a quarterback and a top receiver away from being a contender. They could sign someone like Kirk Cousins to take over and help lead.
But they could also talk to the Bears. Of course, trading for Justin Fields makes sense. Fields is from the Atlanta area and would fit perfectly into their offense. Or they could use their draft capital to move to the top of the draft and get the guy who's supposed to be the next star quarterback. Caleb Williams would also fit well in Atlanta and would be an obvious upgrade for the Falcons.
There is certainly no doubt the Bears and the Falcons will be having conversations in the coming weeks. Whether it is for Fields or the right to Williams, we will all have to find out together.
5. New York Jets
You read that right. Not the Giants, but the New York Football Jets. Hear me out.
Last year, we saw the huge move by the Jets to trade for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They made that move because they felt their roster was one elite quarterback away from contending for a Super Bowl. Then, disaster struck less than 5 plays into the season.
We then saw how broken the Jets were at the quarterback position. Zach Wilson struggled mightily when he was given the keys. Trevor Siemian had a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough. Another year was wasted on this defense and all the toys Rodgers decided to convince to come with him.
Rodgers is not going to be around forever. The Jets need to take a play from the Packers playbook (Bears fans, close your eyes). We saw Rodgers sit behind hall-of-famer Brett Favre for a few years to become elite. We then saw Jordan Love sit behind Rodgers and he had an impressive first year at the helm. Now, Rodgers is in New York and nobody behind him is the answer.
If the Jets had one more huge play in them, they could come up and take the first pick, bring Williams to New York, and have him learn under Rodgers to then take over and keep the Jets dominating for a decade. Plus, Rodgers showed he is human and can get injured. Had the Jets had a capable quarterback ready in week 1, maybe things would have been a lot different in the AFC.
The flaws to this are Rodgers doesn't seem to be wanting to quit anytime soon and there is no way Williams would be content with sitting behind someone for too long. But the New York media would absolutely love this plan.
If it's too early for you to think about the offseason, then you should head over to FanDuel Sportsbook before the Super Bowl to claim your $200 in bonus bets. When you sign up and make a winning wager of $5, you automatically get an extra $200.