The Chicago Bears are sitting on a figurative pot of gold this year, but they also have a lot of big decisions to make when it comes to cashing in that gold wisely.

With the overall no. 1 pick in this year’s NFL draft, the option is there to draft USC Heisman Award winner and blue chip quarterback prospect Caleb Williams, who most feel is the top QB in this year’s draft. They also have the option of drafting wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State, who many scouts feel is actually the top talent in this draft.

But what if the Bears could get both Williams AND Harrison?

That’s exactly the scenario envisioned by NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter in a proposed trade between Chicago and the New England Patriots, structured around his recent mock draft.

In his mock draft, Chicago would be able to draft Williams with their overall no. 1 pick and then Harrison with the Patriots’ overall no. 3 pick, acquired by the Bears via trade.

Huge Deal For The Chicago Bears
Such a windfall would be a dream scenario for the Bears, especially considering that the price for locking in that windfall, according to Reuter, would be current Chicago starting quarterback Justin Fields, who would be going out the door anyway if the team selects Williams at no. 1.

In this proposed deal, the Bears would send Fields and their own first-round draft spot (no. 9 overall) to the Patriots in return for the Patriots’ no. 3 overall pick in the first round, a 2024 fourth-round pick, and a conditional 2025 pick. The veteran analyst describes the trade as one “similar to the trade between the Packers and Jets for Aaron Rodgers last year.”

And if the Bears front office wouldn’t leap, cartwheel, somersault to get that deal signed as soon as it was proposed, they’d seriously be candidates for straight jackets and reservations for rooms with padded walls.

The gigantic question surrounding this proposed trade would be– why would the Patriots make it?

Yes, New England was absolutely awful last season, finishing with a sickly 4-13 record and the sad distinction of being the worst team in the AFC. That’s quite a fall from grace for a team that was once the elite franchise in the NFL, establishing a legacy of greatness under quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick that saw them become Super Bowl champions six times in nineteen years and make nine Super Bowl appearances in total during that span of time. With Brady gone and Belichick fired now, there’s definitely some desperation to turn things around quickly.

One definitive truth is that New England, first and maybe foremost, needs an answer to their quarterback mess.

Justin Fields: Answer To Patriots QB Woes?
Maybe the thought could be that Fields is already a field-ready NFL starting quarterback who could come in and immediately make an impact, unlike a rookie QB draft selection like North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels, the next best quarterbacks behind Caleb Williams in the draft, who would need time to learn and develop.

Fields, who is going to be 25 by the time the season starts, is headed into his fourth year as a pro. Some may see him as a best of both worlds option– possessing both youth and experience. Many feel that, in the right system and with the right guidance, Fields could be something special. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in Chicago over the years and, late this season, also showed some added maturity and development.

The Patriots could, conceivably, roll the dice on Fields and hope for an immediate impact and quick turnaround from frustrated league cellar-dwellers to playoff contenders.

This certainly would be a daring move from the Patriots, although one would think that maybe it might be the Bears having to throw in extra draft picks to sweeten the deal and not the other way around.

All in all, though, this would be a wonderful deal for the Bears and a bold gamble from New England.