Former NFL veteran says Bears should trade away No 1 pick, stick with Justin Fields at quarterback

One of the biggest questions heading into the 2024 NFL Draft centers around the Chicago Bears and their commitment to Justin Fields. 

Speculation about Fields’ future ramped up early in the offseason with many believing that the organization will use the No. 1 pick they acquired from the Carolina Panthers to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Former NFL tight end Clay Harbor spoke with Charly Arnolt on "OutKick The Morning" in Las Vegas ahead of the Super Bowl to discuss Chicago’s options. 

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Harbor, who played nine years in the league, said that from information he’s gathered around the league "the feeling is that the Bears are going to draft a quarterback." 

"They are open to listening to offers and listening to whatever happens to see if somebody comes with some crazy, crazy offer – they’re going to listen," he said in an interview aired Thursday.

But Harbor, like some, believe the best option for Chicago in the long term would be to trade away the pick and address the Bears’ other needs – and to get those players on a rookie deal. 

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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"I’m trading the pick. You could trade down to Washington. Kliff Kingsbury is literally the offensive coordinator at Washington, and he’s a guy that worked with Caleb Williams and somebody that knows how to get the most out of Caleb Williams."

"The starting point is two first-round picks, that’s the starting point and a player."

Harbor added that Fields has shown growth heading into his fourth NFL season, and moving on might not be the answer to Chicago’s problems.

"He has improved. If you look at last season, the second half of the season, he really improved. And I was never sold until I saw, ‘OK, this is an improvement.’ Now, why would you get rid of the guy right when you’ve invested so much into him."

Quarterback Justin Fields (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

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Chicago hasn’t leaned into any option publicly. But Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren did have high praise for Fields in an interview this week.

"I’m a supporter of Justin because I got a chance to work with him when I was commissioner of the Big Ten conference," Warren said, per NBC Sports. "He is incredibly talented. He is smart. He works hard. And he wants to be a great NFL football player. And now he just needs to make sure he has the support around him. He’s working hard. I would love to see him this offseason and make sure he’s totally healthy going into the season next year."

Chicago has the first and ninth pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

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