This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.
The Chicago Bears have one option and one option ONLY when it comes to the NFL Draft: Auction off the first overall pick to the highest bidder that’s desperate for a quarterback and gather all the draft picks they can to build a team around Justin Fields.
Because when you have a young, breakout quarterback like Fields on a rookie contract, there’s a blueprint you follow to win a Super Bowl.
That blueprint does NOT include trading the more known quantity in Justin Fields and drafting a QB first overall.
Now, before I go on, we should note: Even if it’s before the 2023 NFL Combine, smoke screen SZN has begun. So who knows what’s real and what isn’t?
That said, there’s this report from Jason La Canfora: “More than one NFL general manager came away from the Senior Bowl fairly convinced that Justin Fields will be dealt.”
That could mean everything and nothing. But let me just say: DON’T DO IT.
If you know Fields and saw what he did last season behind a bad offensive line and without much help at receiver, you know that he can be explosive and there’s still room to grow. What you don’t know is if C.J. Stroud or Will Levis — or whoever will be taken by the Bears if this scenario plays out — will be better, and if they bust? You set the franchise back a few more years.
Plus: The Bears are going to be spenders this offseason. They have the most cap space in the NFL, which means the window into playoff contention will open pretty fast. A timeline that includes a rookie QB instead of a third-year pro doesn’t seem right.
So, although I will assume this won’t happen, I’ll just add: DO NOT TRADE JUSTIN FIELDS, BEARS!
Cool? Cool.
Quick hits: Who should play John Madden? … Mikal Bridges’ big night …
— Who should play John Madden in the limited series about the NFL legend produced by Tom Brady? We have some ideas.
— Mikal Bridges rushed to give his mom his jersey after his career-high scoring game.
— The Chiefs Super Bowl parade included Patrick Mahomes having the most fun and the O-line trolling the Eagles with t-shirts.
