CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 24: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears looks to throw a pass during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field on December 24, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

An intriguing trade proposal has the Chicago Bears flipping the NFL upside down by trading Justin Fields to a top contender over in the AFC.

The Bears hold the first overall selection in this year’s draft courtesy of the Carolina Panthers, who surrendered their 2024 first-rounder last offseason to move up and take Alabama QB Bryce Young first overall.

Chicago is widely expected to trade Fields ahead of the draft and ultimately use the No. 1 pick on prized USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

ESPN’s Seth Walder proposed a fascinating trade idea that has the Cleveland Browns landing Fields to replace its $230 million quarterback, Deshaun Watson:
“The Browns trade for QB Justin Fields. This is a wild one, I know. But if I were the Browns, I would look at Deshaun Watson as mostly a sunk cost and try to upgrade at quarterback. With no first-round pick and so much money already heading Watson’s way, this would be tough to do. But trading a second- or third-round pick for Fields (still on his rookie contract) is feasible, and I’d like to see Fields in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. The alternative is simply hoping that Watson improves and, if not, wasting another year of a talented roster.”

The Watson trade has left a lot to be desired for the Browns up to this point. Through 12 games with the club, he has a 59.8 completion percentage for 14 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a QB rating of 81.7.

The Cleveland offense peaked in 2023 when 38-year-old Joe Flacco was brought in as the Browns’ fourth starting QB option. Flacco’s strong performance led the Browns to the playoffs, and it certainly didn’t look good on Watson that Cleveland’s passing game improved without him.

So there’s an easy case to be made that the Browns would be better off replacing Watson with Fields, if they can somehow make the money right. Fields rushed for over 1,000 yards in his sophomore season and showed promise as a passer in 2023 with 16 touchdowns in 13 games.

The Browns haven’t indicated that they’re looking to replace Watson. But if the price for Fields is right, GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski should at least look into acquiring the 2021 first-round pick.