Chicago Bears insider suggests Justin Fields won’t net 1st-round pick in trade

The 2024 NFL Draft is still over two months away, but speculation about what the Chicago Bears will do with the first overall pick is running as wild as ever.

The pick comes down to whether GM Ryan Poles believes Caleb Williams is a must-have quarterback or if his faith in Justin Fields is strong enough to pass on a quarterback for the second draft in a row.

Perhaps a third factor will contribute to Poles’ decision: what could the Chicago Bears get back for Fields if they decided to trade him?

Bears fans have been fired up over recent speculation that Fields could command a first-round pick in a trade. NFL insiders like Adam Schefter and Jay Glazer have hinted as much, as has NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. But is that a realistic expectation?

According to longtime Bears beat writer Brad Biggs, it may not be.

Biggs broke down Chicago’s potential 2024 free agency plan in his latest Q&A for the Chicago Tribune and added some intel when discussing the Bears’ potential targeting of a center in the second or third round of the NFL Draft.

“There are some talented centers in the draft,” Biggs wrote, “but the Bears currently don’t own a second-round pick, which might be the sweet spot to get a good one. Maybe Poles could get a second-rounder back if he trades quarterback Justin Fields. Some I’ve spoken to believe the return for Fields might be a third-rounder.”

A third-rounder? Could Justin Fields’ trade value end up being that low?

Honestly, nothing would surprise me at this point. I think Fields has flashed enough playmaking upside to convince a quarterback-needy general manager to move a first-round pick for him. Still, I also see a reality in which those same quarterback-needy teams don’t view Fields as an obvious starter. Not even in 2024.

I know, Bears fans. That stings. But it’s true.

Nevertheless, the most likely haul the Chicago Bears will receive in a Justin Fields trade could be similar to what the New York Jets received for Sam Darnold. The Jets traded Darnold before the 2021 season for a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a second- and fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

I have a feeling Poles will prioritize 2025 picks in any trade discussions involving Fields. The Darnold trade is a great model to follow, and while Bears fans may want a second-round pick this year, Chicago does have two top-10 picks already. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

The wild ride that is the Chicago Bears 2024 offseason has barely started. Buckle up. It isn’t ending anytime soon.

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