ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the Bears are leaning towards trading their first overall pick in next month’s draft. That would be a mistake.

While the trading Fields may appear as bold, if they want the best chance at winning the Super Bowl, trading their young QB is the best way to do that.

Throughout the Bears’ history, the quarterback position has always been a struggle, so why would they be inclined to trade the guy they drafted in the first round just two years ago?

There are a number of reasons why trading Fields could yield the most success for the team.

Primarily, it’s been proven since the league’s birth that “run first” quarterbacks simply don’t win the Super Bowl. Notable QBs that have a similar play style to Fields, such as Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham, have never found themselves hoisting the Lombardi trophy. At the end of the day, your QB needs to make plays with his arms, and in Fields’ first two seasons, there have been apparent limitations with his throwing ability.

Additionally, his mobile style of play begs for injuries. In his very young career, he’s already missed several games due to a Chest Rib Fracture, Shoulder A/C Joint Separation, and Inguinal Hip Strain. Run first QBs just aren’t sustainable and Fields’ injury history has proven that.

Trading Fields would also allow for a rookie deal with a new Quarterback. Rather than deciding on whether to extend Fields two years from now, the Bears can have an extra two seasons with a low cost rookie-contract  quarterback, allowing them to fund other positions of their roster.

It is also notable that General Manager Ryan Poles wasn’t the one who drafted Fields. 

While he’s only been the GM for a few years, Poles has already shown a different draft philosophy than his predecessor, Ryan Pace, did. Poles has said that he refuses to overlook the value of draft picks and will explore every option given to him, even one where he trades Fields.

Many fans believe that keeping Fields is the correct choice, and all he needs is a capable roster behind him. While he definitely showcased his talent this season, the Bears could be much more equipped to build a roster with one of the premier guys in this year’s draft and use the capital from trading Fields to surround a new QB with a stronger roster.

The number one overall pick gives the Bears many different opportunities. The Bears could trade down with either the Texans at pick two or the Colts at pick four and get a hefty compensation of picks for moving down. Assuming they make a deal with Indianapolis, they could most likely get a first round pick next season and another high value pick this season to build their team around who they pick at the fourth spot.

Then, trading Fields could realistically get them another first plus a high value pick, which they also could use to surround any one of prospects Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or Will Levis, all guys who have a lot of potential.

Obviously, they can also just trade down from the first overall pick and build around Fields. However, given Fields’ injury history and inability to make consistent plays with his arm, it doesn’t seem like the Bears will be winning a championship with Justin Fields at the QB helm anytime soon.

Fields has played 27 games so far in the NFL. He’s passed for at least 300 yards in those games a total of zero times. The last starting QB to win a Super Bowl without passing for at least 300 yards in a minimum of one game that season was Trent Dilfer in 2000. 

The goal in the NFL is not to get to the playoffs and just be a “good” team. It’s to win Super Bowls. While the Bears could definitely build a strong and playoff bound team around Fields, he’s simply not going to put the team in the best position to win it all.

Trading Fields is a bold decision, but no Super Bowl winning team got their rings by playing it safe. Ultimately, getting rid of their QB and resetting and rebuilding around a rookie could be much better in the long run, and is now looking like a realistic scenario.