No. 1 overall pick trade: The Chicago Bears are betting their future on Justin Fields

The NFL world was rocked on Friday with news of a trade deal between the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers. The Bears traded their first overall pick in next month's NFL draft with the Panthers for a haul of benefits.

The franchise will be getting the 9th and 61st pick in the upcoming draft, as well as a first-round and second-round pick in the 2024 and 2025 drafts, respectively. The deal was sweetened with elite wide receiver DJ Moore joining the Bears.

Apparently, this ended the potential selection of quarterback prospects such as Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud in the draft. The Bears are evidently placing their bets on quarterback Justin Fields to lead the team's offense over the next couple of years.

Fields' Journey So Far with the Bears

Coming out of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program, Justin Fields was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL draft as the 11th overall pick. He was the fourth of the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the draft edition.

The quarterback signed a rookie contract worth a fully guaranteed $18.8 million with the Chicago Bears. He was named the backup quarterback to Andy Dalton for the 2021 season but eventually started more games during the season than the veteran.

Fields ended his rookie season in the NFL with 1,870 passing yards and 7 touchdowns, along with 10 interceptions in 12 games. He also rushed 420 yards, which was the fifth-most in the league and the best among rookies, leading to 2 touchdowns.

Fields became the starting quarterback for the Bears in the 2023 season. Despite a disappointing season for the Bears, the quarterback produced an improved performance. He threw 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,563 yards and 8 touchdowns, becoming the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards.

Becoming Bears' Franchise Quarterback

Justin Fields is now set to become the backbone of the Bears' offense for the next couple of years. He is pretty much getting the trust of head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles to lead the team to success after a disappointing season.

The addition of wide receiver DJ Moore to the Bears' team provides extra support for Fields. Stats showed that the lack of help for the quarterback was responsible for the team's offensive line woes in the previous season. Many analysts have opined that Fields will certainly produce much better numbers with elite receivers.

The Bears now hold nine picks in next month's NFL draft, with four of them inside the top 65. There could still be reinforcements in the wide receiver position to provide more great options for Fields. Much expectation is now placed on the quarterback, not only by the Bears' management but the entire NFL world, to take the franchise away from its ruins.