Should Patriots Give Up No. 3 Pick To Make This Justin Fields Trade With Bears?
The Patriots almost certainly will have a new quarterback in 2024, and the Chicago Bears definitely must consider trading QB Justin Fields. Seems like there could be a match, no?
NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter on Monday spent no time getting into the post-Super Bowl offseason with a three-round mock draft. As part of that draft, Reuter proposed a hypothetical trade between New England and Chicago that would make Fields a Patriot. As part of the deal, the two teams would also swap first-round picks, just not that first-round pick from Chicago, which owns the Nos. 1 and 9 selections in the first round.
New England acquires: QB Justin Fields, No. 9 overall pick
Chicago acquires: No. 3 overall pick, 2024 fourth-round pick, 2025 conditional pick
It would certainly make a little bit of news. As part of the mock draft, Reuter also had the Bears taking Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick and pairing him with wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. with the third selection.
As for the Patriots, Reuter likes Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu as a cornerstone to the New England line.
“Fashanu possesses the intelligence, length and athleticism to start at left tackle immediately for the Patriots, who could lose Trent Brown in free agency,” Reuter wrote of Fashanu, who was linked to the Patriots in mock drafts dating back a year.
It’s technically possible Brown re-signs now that Bill Belichick is gone, but if and when he walks, the offensive line becomes an even more pressing issue. In this scenario, the Patriots satisfy that need while also getting their potential quarterback of the future in Fields, a former first-round pick who has flashed brilliance with Chicago.
At this point, it seems more likely than not that Fields won’t be in Chicago. The Bears will have to pay him soon, and drafting Williams resets the rookie deal — not to mention, Williams might just be better. From a betting standpoint, the Patriots are among the favorites in Fields’ next-team odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.
For which team will Justin Fields take his first snap in the 2024-25 NFL regular season?
Atlanta Falcons +150
Chicago Bears +175
Las Vegas Raiders +500
Pittsburgh Steelers +550
New England Patriots +750
The Falcons make all the sense in the world for Fields. The Georgia native is a seemingly solid fit on a roster that just needs competent quarterback play, and he could ultimately flourish in an offense that includes the likes of Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. That alone could motivate the Falcons to make some sort of a deal with Atlanta, but it would be hard to match anything the Patriots could put forth if the No. 3 pick is involved.
A lot of this might come down to what the Patriots think of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Williams almost certainly will be gone by the time the Patriots draft, but either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels would likely be there. If the Patriots think it’s close enough compared to Fields, they might as well take the rookie for the same reasons Chicago might be motivated to trade him. But the path back to relevancy is probably a little smoother with an established veteran like Fields under center in 2024.
What do you think? Should the Patriots trade for Fields, even if it costs them the No. 3 pick? Leave your opinion in the comments below.