Bears could make surprising trade ahead of NFL Draft?

The Chicago Bears are in a tremendous position of strength heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and some executives reportedly believe the team could make a surprising decision with the No. 1 overall pick.

According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, there were multiple general managers at the Senior Bowl earlier this month who left the event convinced that the Bears are planning to trade Justin Fields.

Fields made significant improvements in his second NFL season, and all indications have been that the Bears are committed to him. The expectation is that Chicago will trade the first overall pick, and they should receive huge offers from multiple teams.

Of course, the Bears might be quietly spreading the word that they are thinking about trading Fields in an attempt to drive up the price for the No. 1 pick even further. If teams that need a quarterback think Chicago is considering keeping the pick, they might become desperate and up their offers.

At least four teams that pick in the top 10 — the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers — badly need a quarterback. You could also add the Atlanta Falcons to the mix, though they drafted Desmond Ridder last year. Any or all of those teams might be interested in trading up to No. 1 to land the QB they like the most.

It makes sense for the Bears to explore all options, even trading Fields.