Vegas odds on Bears drafting Caleb Williams |
With the Chicago Bears officially on the clock, the number one question is who will be the starting quarterback for Chicago in 2024. Justin Fields? Caleb Williams? Someone else?
Bet California has Chicago with the best odds to acquire Williams, with a 52.3 percent chance. The next closest team is the Washington Commanders at 23.6 percent, followed by the New England Patriots at 6.2 percent, the New York Giants at 5.4 percent, the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings each tied at 4.8 percent, and all other teams with a 7.7 percent chance. It makes sense, with the Bears sitting with the No. 1 pick, that the No. 1 prospect would have the greatest odds of going to Chicago. However, with options out there like North Carolina prospect Drake Maye or 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels, there is no guarantee the Bears will not trade down to get one of those players. Further, unlike the Commanders and Patriots, they have a quarterback who has not done a bad job as a starter in Justin Fields. Fields is still on his rookie contract and made some positive strides last season. In addition, some of the star players on the Bears, including top receiver DJ Moore, have shown their support to see Fields as the starter next season. With top players showing this much support for Fields, it shows the kind of culture and leadership he brings to the locker room. When bringing in someone new, there is no guarantee they will gel with the current culture, which seems to be incredibly important to head coach Matt Eberflus and what he is trying to build in Chicago. There is also some question as to whether Williams wants to play for the Bears. Back in December of 2023, he supposedly clicked “like” on a post about the Bears keeping Fields. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also raised this concern. When discussing the value of trading Fields, he mentioned that fans should keep an eye out for Williams getting an agent before the draft. Schefter seemed to imply that Williams could seek to get traded from the Bears if they drafted him, another factor that would need to be considered if Chicago is going to pursue him. If the Bears were to go with what the odds are suggesting in drafting Williams, that would most likely mean trading Fields. A number of teams have been floated, including the Falcons. However, for that to happen, Atlanta would most likely have to give up their No. 8 overall pick. As that seems unlikely, the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be a better option as they are sitting with the No. 20 overall pick. The Steelers just released former Bears quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, which could be a sign that they are preparing to add a quarterback, possibly for a trade with Chicago to acquire Fields. While there is certainly a lot of speculation, things should clear up a little after the NFL Combine, which starts on Monday, February 26. With that said, I still would not bet on Williams being the quarterback for Chicago in 2024.
