The Chicago Bears own the top pick in April’s NFL Draft.
And while quarterback Justin Fields has started 38 of his 40 games since being the 11th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by Chicago, USC’s Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, is the -1200 betting favorite (bet $10 to win $10.83 total) to be the top pick in the draft.
RELATED: Bears on rise, despite QB situation
The Washington Commanders recently hired Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. Kingsbury was Williams’ quarterbacks coach with the Trojans last season, fueling speculation that Washington wants to trade up from No. 2 and draft Williams.
What will the Bears do with the top pick?
Welcome to one of the most intriguing storylines of the NFL offseason.
Fields is entering the final year of the four-year, $18.9 million contract he signed as a rookie.
Here are the latest odds on the team Fields takes his first snap with this season, according to DraftKings:
JUSTIN FIELDS’ TEAM TO START SEASON: *
Bears: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)
Falcons: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total)
Raiders: +450 (bet $10 to win $55 total)
Seahawks: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Broncos: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Steelers: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Patriots: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Vikings: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Commanders: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
* odds as of 2/12/2024
Should the Commanders go all-in on Caleb Williams?
FOX Sports NFC North reporter Carmen Vitali took a macro look at the Bears’ QB situation and concluded this: The Bears don’t have a great track record of turning QBs into stars.
However, she cautioned Chicago against investing a boatload of money into an unproven signal-caller.
“The Bears have to decide whether to pick up Fields’ fifth-year option in the coming months. That would guarantee Fields around $25 million in 2025. The thought is that a long-term contract wouldn’t be far behind. Nearly half of the league’s quarterbacks are making $35 million or more, with contracts only getting richer. A franchise player, like Fields would be if he made it to a second contract with the team, makes somewhere in the range of $40-55 million per year. That’s a lot of money to commit in the very near future to a player who has yet to show the team he’s that caliber of quarterback.
“The other option is to take advantage of a unique draft situation and select a quarterback with the first overall pick, effectively resetting the contract clock on the most expensive position. The Bears acquired No. 1 overall after last year’s trade down with the Carolina Panthers out of Chicago’s earned first overall pick. The Bears are again in that top spot, and still have their own No. 9 overall pick, all while fielding a sneaky-good roster led by a defense that played like one of the NFL’s best at the end of the 2023 season.”
On the flip side, FOX Sports’ Richard Sherman, co-host of Undisputed, said he’s “not totally sold on Caleb Williams.”
Sherman said the Bears can sit back and take the best offer from a team willing to pay a big price to draft Williams, and also explained that Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would fill a big need for the Bears.
“Chicago obviously has all the leverage here. They can do whatever they want. They can move it however they want,” Sherman said. “I think Marvin Harrison Jr. is their pick. And I would assume that it would be my pick if I was the Chicago Bears because I think Justin Fields can get it done.
“I would sit there and get a king’s ransom to move not too far off the first pick. Maybe to the third or so. And stay in striking range to make sure I do get Marvin Harrison Jr. if nothing else.”
In the past 20 years, eight franchises selected a quarterback in the first round only to draft another within four years. That includes the Bears, who drafted Mitch Trubisky second in 2017.
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