In an interview that has leaked, Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud thinks it would be wiser for the Chicago Bears to maintain starting quarterback Justin Fields, a former colleague from Ohio State, rather than trade him and selecting Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
In the NFL Draft in April, the Bears are slated to select first overall. Williams will undoubtedly be selected first overall. All that remains to be seen is if Chicago chooses to draft the former USC standout or if a different team trades for that pick.
For one season in 2020, Stroud and Fields shared the quarterback room at Ohio State, where Fields relied on Stroud to carry Ohio State to the national championship game.
Both Fields and Stroud became first-round draft picks with different levels of success. Stroud recently won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award after a stellar first season with the Texans.
Fields has been the Bears’ primary starter for the last three seasons and the team has yet to win more than seven games in one year with him directing the offense. Chicago’s overall roster has not given Fields much help over than span too.
The Bears have been linked to the possibility of drafting Williams with the first overall for well over a year. Chicago acquired the pick from the Panthers last year.
Chicago will likely have to make a decision on Fields before March 13, when the NFL’s free-agent signing period begins. The Bears would have to budget for retaining its quarterback, or allocate money to a huge rookie contract for Williams.
Moving on from Fields would reset Chicago’s quarterback timeline and give the rebuilding franchise more of a safety net to build an elite roster around its signal caller.
The Bears biggest draft needs do not include a quarterback, but not drafting Williams could prove to be prolonging the inevitable if Fields cannot lead the team to playoff success over he next few years.
Fields has shown signs of being a great NFL quarterback and has also looked scatterbrained with the pigskin in his hands. That inconsistency has led to the current crossroads.
Several teams would be happy to acquire Williams’ services, including the Washington Commanders, who have the No 2 overall pick.
Williams is from Washington DC and is one of the most-decorated high school football players to ever come out of the America’s capital city.
With the Commanders under new ownership, making the splashy move to attain the best quarterback prospect in the NFL draft, who is also a local product, would be a huge win for the franchise.
The Bears surely know that, and the clock is ticking on whether the team will move on from Fields.
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