The Bears may hold the No. 1 pick and draft Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL draft, according to reports. As expected, general manager Ryan Poles is considering all options. How much can he demand for the top pick? Commanders general manager Adam Peters responded to a similar draft trade-up question.
"I think we'd do anything to improve our team," Peters told Schrager. "Trade up, trade down, nice conversations with many GMs this week. Very productive. We'll try everything to improve our squad."
The Commanders are second in the draft, behind the Bears with the first pick. They need a quarterback after benching Sam Howell late in the season for poor performance.
Trade up? Why? Some consider USC quarterback Caleb Williams a generational talent. Despite playing in Southern California in college, Williams is a D.C. native and commonly associated with the Commanders. According to Ian Rapoport, the Bears would need a "historic haul" to trade the first pick to the Commanders.
Remember, last season the Bears moved down from No. 1 to No. 9. The Panthers gave them DJ Moore, a 2023 first-round selection (No. 9), a 2024 first-round pick (No. 1), and a 2025 second-round pick.
Even if the Commanders are one slot behind the Bears, Ryan Poles may want a bigger deal than the Panthers offered to move out of the top 10. Rapoport said no team will satisfy the Bears' demands.
"I have not talked to any team, one, willing to make that happen, or two, that believes they can," NFL Network stated Rapoport. "It surely seems that the Bears are heading in the direction of taking Caleb Williams at No. 1."
That result suggests the Bears should keep the first pick and draft a quarterback. If they can't get what they think the No. 1 choice and leaving Fields is worth, they're done. Diana Russini of The Athletic said she believed the Bears would.
"Multiple league sources I spoke to believe the Bears are trying to move on from Justin Fields, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract," Russini said. "The team, which has the No. 1 and 9 picks, appears to be focused on using its first pick to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams
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