Bears would be best-suited to trade Justin Fields quickly this offseason

Highlights

• The Bears appear to be all in on selecting USC’s Caleb Williams with the first overall pick.
• As seen in the 2022 offseason, the longer you wait, the worse compensation you get from a trade.
• Trading Fields early allows Chicago to go into free agency with full transparency of their assets.

It appears to be the league’s worst-kept secret that the Chicago Bears are planning to part with Justin Fields and select USC’s Caleb Williams with the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fields knows it, the Bears know it, fans know it, and other teams do as well. So for Ryan Poles and Chicago’s front office, the clock is now ticking to find a trade partner and send the former first-round passer off to his next team.

However, Fields isn’t the only option for teams to pursue when looking for a quarterback this offseason. The draft has six names being speculated as potential first round picks while veterans such as Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, and Ryan Tannehill are set to hit the open market as free agents. Then, on top of that, there are rumors of a potential trade surrounding other passers, such as Russell Wilson, Mac Jones, and Sam Howell.

So, for the Bears, making Fields the first of the quarterback dominoes to fall could be a nice gesture to their 2023 starter, but most importantly, it could be most beneficial for what they get in return.

As the dominoes fall, the compensation does too

This offseason is eerily similar to 2022

With names such as Cousins, Mayfield, and Wilson all potentially available this offseason, this year’s batch of possible moving pieces at the quarterback position is reminiscent of the 2022 offseason. Funnily enough, three of the biggest names that year are again anticipated to be available this time around.

Not all quarterbacks had equal trade value. Wilson and Deshaun Watson were the prized possessions of this free agency class, while Matt Ryan felt like a close-behind option for a veteran quarterback attempting to make one last push at a ring.

Then behind those three was Mayfield and Carson Wentz, young starting quarterbacks who had struggled in the 2021 season but could inspire optimism in the right situation.

Still, as seen from the table above, the trade value of these quarterbacks largely varied due to the availability of open spots. Had the Washington Commanders waited, or had the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons been quicker to part with their quarterbacks, the leverage and value likely would have resulted in them receiving better compensation.

Poles should use the 2022 offseason as a lesson. You know you have the first overall choice in the draft; you can operate and negotiate confidently with the knowledge your favorite passer of this class will be available. So, jumping on the chance to get Fields with his new team before other veterans start filling the open jobs around the league can be huge for the team’s return.

Starting the new era in Chicago

Getting the locker room behind Williams should be top priority for the Bears

As the season came to a close, there was widespread support for Fields from the fan base and locker room. While that has quieted over the dead time of this offseason, many within the Bears roster are close friends with Fields and fully support the quarterback returning as a starter in 2024.

It’s a business, and many are aware of that. However, the earlier you part with Fields, the better it can be to allow the team to reposition themselves and be more supportive upon the arrival of the new starter in town.

There is no risk of any players on the roster arriving with pitchforks the next day or giving Williams the silent treatment when he joins the franchise. However, allowing a couple of months to process a major decision like this in order to eventually embrace the draft pick can go a long way in terms of forming an immediate bond inside the organization.

Plenty of success for rookie passers comes from having the support of those surrounding them. While many on the team have been vocal in support of keeping Fields, they should be more than ready to back Williams right away in the Windy City.

Being in the know before the market opens

With the chance to properly assess your assets, you get a leg up in free agency

The Bears head into free agency with a current total of roughly $82.9 million in cap space, good enough for the fourth most in the league. Poles and the rest of this organization are looking to utilize this offseason to help them make another significant jump in team performance. Through the draft and free agency, the team will look to add impactful assets to the team and find the missing pieces that can help break this organization into the NFC playoff picture.

By officially making a deal, the mystery of what the team has disappears. The front office can thoroughly evaluate their assets, weigh the available options of free agents against potential prospects, and likely construct a fully fleshed-out offseason plan.

Of course, the front office will have done their homework and prepared ahead of time for this trade to occur, but until the deal is official, things could change in an instant. A once prominent selection of trade offers can dwindle, and the opportunity to capitalize can get watered down. For Poles and the Bears, the sooner they deal Fields, the better.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.