The Chicago Bears weren’t the only big winners after trading the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft to the Carolina Panthers for an absolute haul on Friday.
Aside from the Arizona Cardinals, arguably no one benefited more than those who grabbed Justin Fields’ 2023-24 MVP odds at +2500 before the deal was announced.
Fields’ odds immediately moved to +2000 in the aftermath of the trade. They’re likely to continue improving as the Bears round out an offense that now features wideouts DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and whichever skill players they decide to add with the bevy of draft picks they now own.
Earlier in the week, For The Win’s Robert Zeglinski broke down why Field’s MVP odds are worth grabbing now:
Do I expect the Bears — who have over $94 million in salary cap space, and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft — to piece together a roster like the 2023 Eagles in one offseason? I do not.
Do I expect Chicago to give Fields a team more worthy of his electric talents? Absolutely. It would almost be impossible not to. When Fields has an offensive line that can even passably block; when he has receivers capable of getting open outside of the confines of a scheme, he will tear the league up.
This man almost broke Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record out of sheer survival. Fields will be an unstoppable machine in 2023 once he no longer has to worry about breaking five tackles on every play.
Now that the No. 1 pick has been converted into Moore, the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, the No. 61 pick in 2023, the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick and the Panthers’ 2025 second-round pick, the Bears have more options to build around Fields than ever before.
At +2000, Fields odds are in the same realm as Dak Prescott (+1800), Trevor Lawrence (+1600) and Aaron Rodgers (+1600) and the Bears’ young QB is well positioned to make a notable leap this season.
After tallying 2,242 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, 1,143 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, even marginal improvement makes Fields an elite quarterback.
Whether or not that’s enough to lead a rebuilt Chicago team to the NFC North title (or playoffs at all) remains to be seen. But you can find a lot worse bets out there with much better reasoning.
