The Chicago Bears head into April's NFL Draft with the No. 1 and No. 9 picks in the first round.
Chicago owns the No. 1 selection this year after the Carolina Panthers traded their pick to the Bears in order to move up and draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 in 2023.
Armed with the top overall selection, speculation has commenced regarding whether the Bears will use the pick on one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s class, or trade the pick in order to add assets and build around Justin Fields.
If the Bears keep the pick and select a new franchise quarterback, it would mean the end of Fields’s tenure after just three seasons.
Former Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler said he believed the team should keep Fields and trade the top pick while appearing on Inside the NFL.
"I don't know what they are gonna do, but what I think they should do is trade down," said Cutler. "Get some more guys on that team to help out Justin and see what happens."
"Trade down and get some more guys to help Justin."
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) January 10, 2024
@JayHasTweets thinks it would be a mistake for the Bears to move on from Justin Fields 🤔 pic.twitter.com/HFlF1yJonF
Cutler stressed that staying the course with Fields, who has flashed talent in his 40 games in the NFL, is the wise choice, rather than starting over with an unproven talent at the next level.
"If you blow it all up and start over again with the No. 1, pick you might be sitting in worse position than you are right now," added Cutler.
The Bears have an immense decision over the next several months and how they decide to proceed will undoubtedly shape the top of the 2024 NFL Draft.
