The Chicago Bears have seemingly decided to move on from quarterback Justin Fields and select Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, but it doesn’t sound like finding a trade partner for Fields is shaping up to be as easy as the team would have hoped and expected.
According to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter or ESPN, the trade market for Justin Fields has been much softer than Fields or the Bears expected, and there’s a chance the team will not able to find a trade partner until after a few other free agent quarterbacks sign with teams around the league.
“I’ve said all along that I’d be very surprised if the Bears didn’t go Caleb Williams at one,” Schefter said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday afternoon. “So what happens to Justin Fields? I don’t think the market for him is as robust as the Bears and he had thought. So that’s going to be interesting to see what they do.”
"I've said all along that I'd be very surprised if the Bears didn't go Caleb Williams at one..
I don't think the market for Justin Fields is as robust as the Bears and he had thought" @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iXU9ZGK05N
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 4, 2024
Obviously, this is pretty brutal news for the Chicago Bears as it puts a little bit of a wrench in their offseason plans and it means they might not get as strong of a return for Fields as they expected, and it led to a strong reaction on social media.
Sorry but @justnfields is better than #CalebWilliams and WAY less of a headache. You want some dude on your team that refused the medical at the COMBINE!??!?! Never heard of any player doing that ever! He also led @uscfb to a whopping 7-5 record this year! WOW https://t.co/OspNQcNxO6
— Man Coverage (@man_coverage) March 4, 2024
No one wants H1M! This is just sad at this point. https://t.co/0llAYvf9LC
— GI – AS A FORMER SCOUT (@GIsaac47) March 4, 2024
Is Fields even a guaranteed starter wherever he goes? https://t.co/JipcQSguuz
— georgeshainakat (@pashaina890) March 4, 2024
The only market he’s good for is peoples fantasy teams when he runs around https://t.co/BvnRhMKklF
— 🅱️ (@BGOMES8888) March 4, 2024
Bears overvaluing their own players and…part of why I don’t have as much confidence in Poles (and less in the coach) https://t.co/PeXl8kotTR
— Blake Allen Murphy (@blakemurphy7) March 4, 2024
Justin Field, Mac Jones, and Zach Wilson all have the same things in common. They are draft busts who have been wholly disappointing and there is little to no market for 1st round salaries for proven failures to be your backup quarterback. The delusional Fields cult is wild. https://t.co/ZYraPGS3ls
— Arizona Joe (@TomBledsoe11) March 4, 2024
We’ll have to see how this plays out for the Bears.
