Most NFL Teams 'Do Expect' Chicago Bears to Keep QB Justin Fields

Former Ohio State Buckeyes and Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields rushed for 1,143 yards last season, finishing ninth in MVP voting.

Chicago, you are on the clock.

The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with what was supposed to be their franchise quarterback in former Ohio State Buckeye Justin Fields.

With quarterbacks Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud as two of the more appealing prospects in this draft, opinions were crafted that Fields could be a part of a trade package for the No. 1 pick.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said the growing rumors that Fields would be traded were "ludicrous," and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said on "SportsCenter" Sunday that teams he has talked to "do expect the Bears to keep Justin Fields."

"They say, 'Look, this is a player who kept them in games they had no business staying in last year.'" Fowler said. "If they have a high ranking on Bryce Young or one of these quarterbacks, they could certainly look into it. The expectation is that they'd move out of that No. 1 pick, but we'll see."

NFL teams expect the #Bears to keep QB Justin Fields, according to @JFowlerESPN

"Most teams I've talked to do expect the Bears to keep Justin Fields,"

"The expectation is that they'd move out of that No. 1 pick." pic.twitter.com/gmUn87Rw8j

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 26, 2023

Fields took a developmental stride in his second year in the NFL, utilizing his legs more to put his electric play-making abilities on display — something he had to do to prevent even more hits than the league-high 55 sacks he took last year.

The Kennesaw, GA. native set the single-game quarterback rushing record with 178 yards against the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 6, en route to 1,143 yards on the ground, which was the seventh most in the NFL last season.

Fields still has left a lot to be desired with his arm but showed improvement from year one to year two. He's emerging as a borderline top-10 quarterback in the NFL after throwing for 372 more yards, 10 more touchdowns and improving his QBR from 26.4 to 54, which ranked 17th in the league.

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