NFL free agency: Predicting where top 24 projected players land in 2023

2023 NFL Free Agency: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Prediction: Signs with Chicago Bears

Here’s another bold prediction for 2023 NFL Free Agency.

What happens if Justin Fields doesn’t develop as expected? What happens if he shows some good things but still has some lows that are too low?

I think the Chicago Bears are an intriguing team to potentially be on next year’s quarterback carousel.

I am hoping I’m wrong about that and Justin Fields goes out and kills it this year, but you never know.

Depending on where the Bears are at, what you typically see with a new head coach and general manager in the NFL is a change at the quarterback position.

Of course, Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus inherited the recently drafted Fields, but they could be a sneaky landing spot for a free agent like Jimmy Garoppolo, a native of Illinois who would be returning to play for his hometown team.

Garoppolo gets a lot of flak but I think when he’s healthy, he is probably one of the top 20 most efficient quarterbacks in the league.

He has helped get his team to the NFC Championship two out of the last three years. If it happened one time, you might be able to convince me it was just a blip on the radar. But the 49ers haven’t just dragged Garoppolo there each time they’ve been there.

He may not be consistent, but he’s had stretches of really good play, for sure.

If Fields falters in year two, the Bears could look to Jimmy G. to stabilize their QB position while continuing to develop Fields, or maybe Garoppolo would come in to push him. Maybe they would move on from Fields completely and draft someone else.