The Chicago Bears are blessed with controlling the top of the NFL Draft for the second year in a row. Last year, they traded out of the first overall pick, sending it to the Carolina Panthers and dropping down to the ninth overall pick.
The Panthers went on to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, and his and Carolina's struggles resulted in the Bears once again possessing the first overall pick as part of the compensation from that trade. This time around, Chicago may not pass on resetting at the quarterback position and moving on from Justin Fields, the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, with USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, available come April.
Fields himself, whose 2,220 rushing yards are the second most by a quarterback through their first three seasons behind only two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson's 2,906, would enjoy seeing the Bears handle their 2024 draft similarly to their 2023 draft and opt to keep him around
"Yeah. Of course. Of course I want to stay," Fields said on the St. Brown Bros Podcast Wednesday. "I can't see myself playing in another place, but I know how the league is. .... If it was up to me I would stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city's lit. The fans there, they're great. But it's a business. I ain't got no control over it, so whatever happens happens."
The soon-to-be 25-year-old, whose sack rate of 12.4% is the worst in the NFL throughout his career since 2021, understands the dialogue, and naturally he would like a resolution on his future sooner rather than later.
"It's either keep Fields, we want Fields or it's either draft Caleb [Williams]," Fields said of how he feels about the narrative currently. "Man, I'm tired of hearing the talk. I just want it to be over."
The Bears traded the first overall pick to the Panthers in the initial days of free agency on March 15 last year, so Fields may have his answer sometime in the next three weeks.
