The Washington Commanders have a decision to make with the No. 2 overall pick. With over $90 million in cap space, there’s more than enough money for the team to build around a quarterback. If they draft a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, they should comfortably be able to add weapons around him. While drafting a quarterback seems like the probable situation, there’s a world where the Commanders trade or sign a quarterback. That thought came up again as Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire did a mock draft that saw the Commanders make a surprise pick after trading for Chicago Bears quarterback, Justin Fields.
In this hypothetical situation proposed by Farrar, the Commanders trade with the Bears for Fields. Farrar doesn’t add the package that would return to the Bears.
“The Commanders trade with the Bears for Justin Fields, and decide in the shocker of the draft to take LSU receiver Malik Nabers over Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as the first receiver. Harrison goes to the Cardinals with the fourth overall pick, and with the Bears taking Brian Thomas Jr. ninth overall, that’s quite a day for LSU!”
Trading for Fields could be something the team entertains, but it’d be surprising to see them draft Malik Nabers over Marvin Harrison Jr. Many believe that Harrison’s the best wide receiver in this draft class after playing at a Heisman type of level in college.
What Could Justin Fields Bring to the Commanders?
Fields would bring the Washington Commanders a young quarterback who has the tools to be an above-average quarterback in the NFL.
While, at times, that hasn’t been shown, Fields could benefit from being in a new system.
The Commanders could be intrigued by his tools as he rushed for 1,143 yards in the 22 season. Fields threw 16 touchdowns and 9 interceptions with 2,562 yards in 2023. He added another 657 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground.
Signs have been there for him, but it’s tough to justify passing up on a quarterback with the No. 1 pick.
Something that seems to be forgotten about in the Chicago Bears situation is that trading Fields and drafting Caleb Williams isn’t necessarily a knock on Fields. Williams would be on a rookie contract for a few more years than Fields and that allows the team to spend money elsewhere while not paying a quarterback much.
If they keep Fields and make a commitment to him, that could be a massive financial decision down the road.
Rookie contracts are extremely valuable around the league and a fresh one for Williams could help the Bears.
What Would the Commanders Have to Trade the Bears?
It’s uncertain what type of value Fields has around the league. For the Washington Commanders, this could be the best time to trade for him. From the Chicago Bears’ point of view, this could be the worst time to trade him.
His value is at an all-time low and that could hurt the Bears.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently had eight NFL executives and coaches weigh in on what the Chicago Bears quarterbacks’ value would be.
“The majority opinion is the Bears would corral a second- or third-round pick, but there was some variation in those responses. One executive said he’d be worth a second-rounder or its equivalent value in a package of a third- and fifth-round pick.”
It’s a tough decision for the Commanders and one that will play a big part in the future of the franchise.