Peter King: Bears Trading #1 NFL Draft Pick 'Seems to Be the Way the Wind Is Blowing' | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Michael Green
Published Mar 24, 2026
Dealing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft "seems to be the way the wind is blowing" for the Chicago Bears, according to NBC Sports' Peter King.
King proceeded to sketch out a scenario where the Bears trade back twice in the first round and wind up with the eighth and ninth selections along with two additional second-round picks and valuable 2025 draft compensation.
Fox Sports' Peter Schrager brought up the same general hypothetical Monday on Good Morning Football:
Peter Schrager @PSchragsAs I detail here, Ryan Poles can be quite a chess master this year. His third Combine, he could plot 2 to 3 to 4 moves--and not just one--with a particularly strong QB Draft class, multiple Top 10 picks, and Justin Fields on the roster. <a href="">
From the moment Chicago secured the top pick, the conventional wisdom was that the team would stay put and select a quarterback, presumably USC's Caleb Williams.
The gap between Williams and Justin Fields doesn't look to be all that great, and taking the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner would allow the front office to reset the clock a bit. Whereas Fields is headed for free agency in 2026, Williams would be on a cost-controlled rookie deal for four years with a fifth-year option that would still be below market value.
Fields unfollowing the Bears on Instagram could foreshadow what's to come, though he downplayed any significance to that.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportJustin Fields sets the record straight 🤣<br><br>(via <a href="">@The33rdTeamFB</a>) <a href="">
Williams didn't reach the heights many expected of him in 2023, and his stock took a slight hit thanks to the Trojans' slide in the second half of the year.
The Bears haven't watched Williams work out for themselves, and they reportedly won't get to see him throw at the NFL Scouting Combine. But perhaps Ryan Poles has already seen enough evidence to question whether pinning the franchise's hopes on the USC star is the right call.
