# 2024 NFL Pre-Draft Thread - The Chicago Bears are on the clock (for now) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [February 14, 2024, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548 "2024-02-14T07:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/21 "2024-02-22T01:35:02Z")
Justin Fields apparently unfollowed the Bears on social media recently; he indicates that he did that (and unfollowed the NFL, too) so that he could spend some time on vacation without seeing football on his social media feed. He also said this, while interviewed on the St. Brown brothers’ podcast, sounding pretty resigned about his fate being out of his hands, but just wanting to know what’s going to happen: > [@](#): > > “Yeah, of course. Of course I want to stay,” Fields said. “I can’t see myself playing in another place. But if it was up to me, I would want to stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city’s lit. The fans there are great, and the people. It’s a business. I ain’t got no control over it; whatever happens, happens. I think the biggest thing with all this going on right now, I just want it to be over. Like, just let me know if I’m getting traded, let me know if I’m staying, this and that.” > **[Fields tired of trade talk: 'Just want it to be over'](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39569977/justin-fields-wants-stay-bears-business)** > > Justin Fields said his unfollowing the Bears on Instagram has nothing to do with the speculation he might be traded so Chicago can use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/22 "2024-02-22T01:49:39Z")
The whole social media thing is the lamest kind of offseason non-story. Glad he laughed about it after the fact. I think he’s was trolling a little. Fields for any flaws he may have is not a drama queen. ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/23 "2024-02-22T04:48:32Z")
If Russell Wilson gets released Denver would be on the hook for his salary. This means that he could be signed for the league minimum, which i believe is around $1.2 million. Any QB hungry team that doesn’t get the QB of the future in the draft could roll the dice with him. Pittsburgh might be a good choice. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/24 "2024-02-22T04:56:13Z")
In what world would Wilson agree to that? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/25 "2024-02-22T05:07:02Z")
Yeah, I would not be shocked if Russell would rather retire and work on his brand than take the league minimum. Though I don’t think he’d need to. He’s certainly not as good as he once was but he doesn’t stink. He had some good games last year. I could see a team at least offering him a modest contract. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/26 "2024-02-22T05:26:56Z")
Derek Carr signed a 4 year, $150M contract after being chased out of Vegas. Jimmy G signed a 3 year, $72M contract coming in to replace him. Wilson will be somewhere between those two numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/27 "2024-02-22T14:54:06Z")
This isn’t really the thread for this, but this thread is about predictions, so I’ll add one to the mix: An NFL player/referee will be credibly accused of point shaving/cheating within the next 5 to 10 years. The NFL will announce a massive investigation into it, and find it was likely a one time thing, but they will institute a whole swath of useless rules to “fix” the problem, and things will go on as they always do after the big public outcry moves onto the next thing. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/28 "2024-02-22T15:07:27Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > The whole social media thing is the lamest kind of offseason non-story. Glad he laughed about it after the fact. I think he’s was trolling a little. > > Fields for any flaws he may have is not a drama queen. Fields has (for the most part) handled his three years in Chicago about as well as any 20-year-old under that kind of spotlight could have. About the only thing he hasn’t aced is playing QB. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/29 "2024-02-22T23:38:04Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > About the only thing he hasn’t aced is playing QB. Yeah but the kid has _heart_. [![](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/53/30/1054919118-Screen-Shot-2013-05-13-at-9_19_35-PM.png) ](https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/53/30/1054919118-Screen-Shot-2013-05-13-at-9_19_35-PM.png) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/30 "2024-02-23T00:02:50Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > An NFL player/referee will be credibly accused of point shaving/cheating within the next 5 to 10 years. I agree. Particularly now that the NFL (and the other big leagues) are in bed with the sports wagering companies, it’s all becoming a very slippery slope, and it’s increasingly difficult for me to see that the NFL has a moral leg to stand on, when it comes to gambling. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/31 "2024-02-23T00:07:15Z")
It’s a general offseason thread for the Pre-draft window. Obviously roster moves and draft picks are the central topic, but I’d say most everything NFL related fits. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a gambling controversy in any sport. That said, the NFL is one of the tougher sports for a single referee to influence. The NFL isn’t rigged, in spite of what the incels say, it’s just a combination of a) reffing is hard and replay is good, b) the rules are vague and inconsistently enforced, and c) too many of the refs are bad at their job. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/32 "2024-02-23T00:14:18Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > > [@Akaj](#): > > > > About the only thing he hasn’t aced is playing QB. > > Yeah but the kid has _heart_. Hey, we Bears fans spent too many years hoping Jay Cutler would lead us to a Super Bowl, and he was an asshole. Justin Fields has actually been a person worth rooting for. If he’d turned out to be as good as CJ Stroud, he’d own this town. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/33 "2024-02-23T00:19:59Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > If he’d turned out to be as good as CJ Stroud, he’d own this town. Stroud is like Mahomes, in that it’s not like people didn’t know he’d be good, but nobody could predict _how_ good he would be. You never can. (And who knows if Stroud will have a superstar career like Mahomes or is peaking as a rookie?) This next batch of QBs has the potential for another player like that, but which player will that be? It would be cool if Chicago got the right guy for once, they have the opportunity to for sure. But will they get that lucky? I’d like to see what the Bears would look like with a real star QB. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/34 "2024-02-23T00:42:27Z")
Stroud was the traditional pocket passer who was decent at everything. In today’s NFL, him not having an elite trait was held against him. I’m still not sure if him being so good is a lesson on how to evaluate QBs or if he’s just an outlier. Mahomes was sort of the opposite. He had several elite traits but people weren’t sure he could run an NFL offense. Evaluating QBs is a black art. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/35 "2024-02-23T00:46:33Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Evaluating QBs is a black art. I guess we need a copy of the _Grays Sports Almanac_ from “Back to the Future Part II”. Though ironically it would be many years out of date at this point. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/36 "2024-02-23T01:00:53Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Evaluating QBs is a black art. And yet every year we hear about how the top QB prospect, sometimes even the top 2 or 3 guys, are once in a generation talent and that QB needy teams need to go all in to draft one. I predict we’re going to hear that again next offseason, and the one after that as well. I also predict that we aren’t going to see the next 3 or 4 actual once in a generation talents coming out in this years and next year’s draft. Yes, that particular part of the media hype tends to annoy me. Yeah, one or two of these guys might develop into the respectable franchise QB level. But I doubt we’ll see two next Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes level talents. ETA. Not trying to shit on anyone’s post. Just predicting that the media will again overhype things. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/37 "2024-02-23T01:18:39Z")
The QB thing is somewhat paradoxical. We are simultaneously terrible at knowing when a QB will be great in the NFL or not and quite good at determining who the best college QBs are. There are of course exceptions, but the QBs drafted first and second are way more likely to make it than anyone taken later. The media will spend way too much time talking about it, but I can’t complain since it’s by far the most important thing. You just have to dig deeper to find the other content and turn off the usual loudmouths. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/38 "2024-02-23T19:02:55Z")
2024 salary cap much higher than expected, over $255M, $30M more than last season. > **[NFL salary cap rises $30.6M to record $255.4M](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39584679/nfl-salary-cap-rises-306-million-record-2554-million-per-team)** > > The NFL announced Friday that its salary cap for the 2024 season will be a record $255.4 million per team -- a stunning 13.6 percent increase over last year's cap and a sign that the league is entering a new phase of exploding revenue. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/39 "2024-02-23T20:07:07Z")
Guess the Chiefs will have no trouble bringing everyone back. Also quite the bail out for the Saints. Wild stuff. Not ideal for the Bears who were counting on a bunch of FA signings. ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548/40 "2024-02-23T20:17:27Z")
Well we do have like 82 million under the cap now. Not everyone is getting re-signed to their current teams. Does this mean Jaylon Johnson is more likely to sign a new contract with us? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-nfl-pre-draft-thread-the-chicago-bears-are-on-the-clock-for-now/997548.md?page=3)