C.J. Stroud Pretty Much Tells The Bears To Not Draft Him

C.J. Stroud has no interest in going to the Chicago Bears.

Stroud is viewed by many as a lock to go in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, and he could possibly even go first overall. He put up monster numbers at Ohio State, and has the kind of physical tools that make NFL GMs salivate.

However, he definitely doesn't want to go to the Bears seeing as how his old teammate Justin Fields is already under center there.

C.J. Stroud rules out going to the Bears.

"I mean, nah, I don’t want to go there. That’s his team. I can do my thing. I can go build my legacy. He texted me yesterday morning. Me and him are brothers for life," Stroud told the press Friday when talking about potentially going first overall, according to ProFootballTalk.

Stroud also made it clear he's very proud of what Fields has done in the NFL and the major improvement he showed in year two.

C.J. Stroud doesn't want the Bears to draft him. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

"I was proud of him. There’s so many times when you get knocked down, but I feel like a true man’s character is when you get knocked down, you get up. And he’s got up every time, and he’s stepped up to the plate, and he hasn’t blamed anybody; he hasn’t pointed no fingers; and he hasn’t done anything. As a human, that just shows you what type of man he is and what type of family he comes from," the former Ohio State star passer added about his old teammate.

The Bears might trade the pick.

The good news for Stroud is that the Bears might not ultimately end up drafting him or anyone else to replace Justin Fields. There's been some whispers the Bears are leaning towards trading out of the spot. That would give Chicago multiple draft picks that could be used to load up on talent.

Fields showed significant improvement in year two. He finished 2022 with 25 total touchdowns after just nine in 2021. The jump was noticeable. It's not really a crisis situation in Chicago. There's also some reporting Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are both viewed as better QB prospects than anyone in the current class, including Stroud.

The Bears could give Fields another year, see what happens and then draft a QB in 2024 if they're at the top again.

Will the Bears keep Justin Fields? (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

No matter what, C.J. Stroud has officially put the Bears on notice. He has zero interest in taking Justin Fields' job. They're buddies and that's one pill he just can't swallow.