Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace made his latest bid for a quarterback.
The Bears executed a draft-day trade with the New York Giants, moving from No. 20 to No. 11 overall to select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
Chicago sent the No. 20 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year (No. 164 overall) in addition to 2022 first- and fourth-round picks to secure its quarterback of the future.
The Giants later selected Florida receiver Kadarius Toney with the No. 20 selection.
The Bears handed Andy Dalton $10 million on a one-year deal, anointing him the starter this offseason. With Fields falling, however, Pace made the splash move for the talented, young quarterback.
The move has shades of when Pace signed Mike Glennon to a big deal in 2017 only to trade up later to supplant him with Mitchell Trubisky. At the time, Chicago was perplexed. This time around, Bears fans are ecstatic.
Fields is a high-ceiling passer with an explosive arm who can make any throw across all three levels. He combines the athleticism to do damage with his feet and the accuracy to pick apart defenses. Fields is the complete package who will immediately open up Matt Nagy's offense.
A tough playmaker, the one quibble with Fields from scouts, is the need to speed up his processing. It's now on Nagy to develop that skill in a player who has the chance to be a high-caliber professional quarterback.
Bears fans have long sought a franchise QB to lead a 21st-century offense. From Jay Cutler to Trubisky to even Nick Foles, who remains on the roster, for now, none materialized. The hope is Fields ends that stretch of futility. Trubisky never made the next leap in Nagy's offense, and the entire operation suffered. Fields has the tools to take the operation to the next level.
For the Giants, Dave Gettleman traded back for the first time in his history as a general manager. He dropped deep into Round 1 this season -- several teams saw a drop-off in talent around No. 16 -- but getting another first-rounder in 2022 could be gold.
