Bears must stick with Justin Fields.

The Bears are the first draft pick for 2023. That doesn’t mean they should give up on the quarterback who presided over a season bad enough to put them in that position.

Quarterback Justin FieldsA first-round pick from the previous regime could theoretically be traded. The Bears could take, for example Bryce Young, the quarterback of Alabama, with the No. 1 pick. This would be a mistake for many reasons.

First, Fields has shown that he is a real talent. He’s already the best running quarterback in the league. It’s up to the Bears to build a passing game around his next-level rushing skills. Given his threat to slip past the defensive linemen and gain 50 or more yards at any given time, it shouldn’t be that hard to get more out of his overall abilities with his arm.

Second, there’s no guarantee that Young or any other first-round quarterback will become a great player. It’s a coin flip, a tossup, a crapshoot — every year. It is absurd to trade a winning lottery ticket in exchange for an unscratched one.

Third, think of the pressure that Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud might feel if they were the No. Stroud would feel if they were the No. 1 overall pick and the one who made the Bears give up on Fields. It’s already hard enough for a first-round quarterback to operate under the weight of ridiculous expectations. This becomes more difficult if the next player has to justify his move by outperforming the one he replaces.

It would be like the pressure. Trey Lance San Francisco after the 49ers He ended up spending three first-round picks plus more to get him. It is too difficult to be considered a success.

No, the Bears should not trade up to get the quarterback they already have. They should also carefully screen the potential incoming quarterbacks to ensure that they can negotiate with any other team looking to take over the top spot. The Bears may end up with enough assets to create a team that Field can lead to the playoffs.

Bears absolutely should stick with Justin Fields Original version: Pro Football Talk