Oct 24, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick shake hands after the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
With the first and ninth picks in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, the Chicago Bears are well-positioned.
After the Carolina Panthers sold their pick to the Bears in order to advance and choose Alabama quarterback Bryce Young first overall in 2023, Chicago now has the No. 1 pick this year.
With the first overall pick, there is conjecture as to whether the Bears will trade the pick to acquire assets and develop around Justin Fields, or use it on one of the best quarterback prospects in this year’s class.
Fields’s stint would end after just three seasons if the Bears hold the pick and choose a new franchise quarterback.
In an appearance on Inside the NFL, former Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler expressed his opinion that the team should retain Fields and trade the first choice.
“I don’t know what they are gonna do, but what I think they should do is trade down,” Cutler stated. “Get some more guys on that team to help out Justin and see what happens.”
Cutler emphasised that it makes more sense to stick with Fields, who has shown promise in his 40 NFL games, than to start over with a young player at the next level.
“If you blow it all up and start over again with the No. 1, pick you might be sitting in worse position than you are right now,” Cutler said.
Over the next few months, the Bears will have to make a huge decision that will surely determine who will be selected first in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Around the Chicago Bears, the general consensus was that something would go wrong sometime this week. Kevin Warren, the team president, and general manager Ryan Poles intended to meet with everyone, perform exit interviews, and then choose their next course of action. The first has to do with Matt Eberflus’s future as head coach. Even though he had a better season in 2023 (7–10) than he had the previous year (3–14), some think it wasn’t enough to mask some warning signs. His cautious outlook, dubious in-game management, and his penchant to blow games in the fourth quarter are causes for concern.
