Offseason Chronicles: What Should the Chicago Bears Do With Justin Fields?

 

Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Stop me if you've heard this before, but the Chicago Bears are in a very precarious position right now. This is a team that, with the right moves this offseason, could potentially be one of the best teams in the NFC in 2024 and beyond. On the other hand, if they make the wrong moves, then the Bears (a team that has just three playoff appearances over the last 14 seasons) could set themselves back even further.

 It's safe to say that Bears general manager Ryan Poles has some big decisions to make this offseason, with the biggest one being whether Chicago should keep and build around quarterback Justin Fields; who they drafted back in 2021, or if they should trade Fields and (with the number-one overall pick in the draft) select a quarterback in a draft class that is filled with talented, generational-type QB prospects such as USC's Caleb Williams.

No matter what Poles and the rest of the Bears' front office decide to do, this offseason is set up to either make or break the future of the franchise. With that being said, in this article, I will discuss the pros and cons of the Chicago Bears' decision to build (or not build) their team around Fields, who is entering his fourth season in the NFL. Let's get to it!

Why the Bears should keep Justin Fields:

Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears scores a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AP Photo)

One of the top reasons why the Bears should keep building around Justin Fields is pretty simple; his teammates love him. Star wide receiver D.J. Moore (who just had the best season of his career with Fields throwing him the ball in 2023) recently said that Fields is a "great leader", and that he was impressed with his steady growth throughout the season. And what Moore said about Fields on the record definitely holds weight. After all, the Bears' struggles with quarterback play over the years have been well documented; no QB in Bears' franchise history has ever thrown 30 touchdown passes or for 4,000 yards in a single season.

 Although Fields still has a ways to go as a passer, he's also already one of the greatest running quarterbacks that the NFL has ever seen; this past season, Fields became just the fourth quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,500 yards within his first 30 starts in the league. So while Fields' career has not gotten off to a terrific start, he's also probably the most talented quarterback that the Bears have ever had (although I guess you could also make a case for Jay Cutler). Moreover, even though Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels are very talented quarterback prospects, there's no guarantee that they will pan out in the NFL.

Additionally, Chicago has the option to do what they decided to do last year when they traded the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Moore and a boatload of draft picks. If a team like the Las Vegas Raiders (who really need a franchise quarterback) offers the Bears a bunch of draft capital in exchange for the first overall pick (and therefore, the right to select Williams), the Bears could accept that trade and use those draft picks to build around Fields, who played at a high level to close out the 2023 season. Alternatively, the Bears could just stay put at No. 1 and select standout Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrsion Jr. An offence consisting of Fields, Moore, and Harrison Jr. combined with a defence that played at an elite level towards the end of last season could help the Bears climb out of the cellar dweller in the NFC North in 2024.

Why the Bears should trade Justin Fields:

Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears fumbles the ball during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023, at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

On the flip side, there's a very good case to be made that the Bears should pull out the plug on the Justin Fields era. Although Fields is an incredibly talented dual-threat quarterback, he's also been--for lack of better words--a turnover machine throughout his first three seasons in the NFL, throwing 30 interceptions while also losing 11 fumbles during that span.

 Furthermore, while Fields has a lot of upside (we have to remember he's still just 25 years old), the allure of drafting Williams can't be ignored, as the 22-year-old former Heisman Trophy winner has garnered comparisons to Patrick Mahomes and "peak-era" Aaron Rodgers. I don't know about you guys, but I would think that if you're being compared to two of the most talented quarterbacks to ever step foot in the NFL, that's probably a good thing.

In a league that's been dominated over the last few seasons by brilliant passers like Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson just to name a few, the Bears could find it difficult to pass up on the prospect of Williams opening up a window of consistent championship contention for the next decade-plus.

On top of that, Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Bears have yet to pick up his fifth-year option, which is worth $23.3 million. It seems like the most sensible thing for the Bears to do would be to trade Fields now and force another team to make a decision on his fifth-year option, considering what took place with Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who was in a similar position that Fields is currently in entering the 2022 NFL season. If the Bears decide to draft Williams with the first overall pick, he'd be on a four-year, rookie-scale contract that would give Chicago adequate time to develop and build around him to compete in the NFC, similarly to what the Philadelphia Eagles have recently done with quarterback Jalen Hurts.

The verdict:

Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Certainly, this is not an easy decision for general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears organization. When Chicago drafted Fields in 2021, it seemed like the franchise had finally found their long-awaited franchise QB. However, due to a multitude of factors, Fields and the Bears haven't quite worked out together as a duo, and as it currently stands it seems likely that Poles will in fact decide to trade Fields, which is what I think they should do as well.

Here are the last three Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and the seasons in which they won a championship:

- Patrick Mahomes (2023, 2022, 2019)

- Tom Brady (2020, 2018)

- Matthew Stafford (2021)

Brady and Mahomes are arguably the two greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, while Stafford may have a decent chance of making the Hall of Fame one day. If the Bears want to win their first Super Bowl since 1985, it'll be paramount for them to find a star quarterback who can lead them there. If they draft Williams and build around him well (as much as I hate to say it as a Packers fan), it wouldn't be entirely shocking to see Chicago hoist the Lombardi Trophy again sometime in the near future.