NFL Rumors: Bears Expected to Make No. 1 Draft Pick amid Justin Fields Trade Buzz

Justin Fields may be suiting up for a different team than the Chicago Bears in 2024.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that "most people" he talked to at the Senior Bowl believe the NFC North team is going to use the No. 1 overall pick. That pick would presumably be used on a quarterback such as USC's Caleb Williams, which would likely put Fields on the outside looking in.

This comes after Dane Brugler of The Athletic reported last month that "teams believe" the Bears will trade Fields and use the No. 1 pick on a signal-caller.

It's certainly not an easy decision, as Fields is already one of the best running quarterbacks in NFL history and showed some progress as a passer with a career-low nine interceptions in 2023.

He also demonstrated plenty of chemistry with D.J. Moore in the wide receiver's first year in Chicago, and the Bears were not eliminated from the playoffs until Week 17. They went 5-3 in their final eight games and seem to be building toward postseason contention in 2024, and maintaining continuity at the most important position on the roster could help those efforts.

Yet it's also not every day a team with a 7-10 record that may be on the brink of playoff contention has the No. 1 pick.

The Bears have it as part of last year's trade with the Carolina Panthers that also brought Moore to the Windy City. That gives Chicago the opportunity to select someone like Williams, who could be a franchise-altering player for a decade or more if he lives up to expectations.

It would also reset the clock on the quarterback position with someone on a rookie timeline, and the front office could use the money it would have otherwise used on a Fields' extension to bolster other positions and bolster those playoff chances.

There has been some speculation about Williams and Chicago, as Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports initially said he heard the USC quarterback didn't want to go to the Bears before revealing the next day that Williams' camp called him to refute that report.

The Bears also have the No. 9 overall pick and could use that selection on a wide receiver such as Washington's Rome Odunze. A combination of Williams, Moore and Odunze could be a problem for opposing defenses for years to come.

It just might be preceded by a Fields trade.