The Chicago Bears face a difficult decision once the 2023 season concludes. GM Ryan Poles must sit down and assess what he’s going to do at quarterback. Justin Fields hasn’t made the massive leap as a pocket passer many were hoping for, but he has improved somewhat and looks more comfortable and confident than earlier this season. The turnovers are down and the efficiency is up. That said, Poles will again have the #1 pick in the draft. Passing on a quarterback two years in a row while holding such a premium position feels like a terrible idea.
Nobody would blame him. He didn’t draft Fields, the QB isn’t playing like an undeniable star, and this incoming class appears strong at the position. That said, there is something to keep in mind here. It isn’t like this will be the last opportunity Poles will ever have to land a potential franchise quarterback in the draft. Let’s presume he chooses to trade #1 for a haul of picks. That would also give the Bears two 1st rounders in 2025 and maybe 2026. That creates tons of flexibility to be aggressive in pursuing a QB he may like in one of those classes.
Contrary to popular myth, every year produces QB opportunities.
Here is a list of how many quarterbacks made at least one Pro Bowl from each draft class between 2012 and 2021.
- 2012 – 6
- 2013 – 1
- 2014 – 2
- 2015 – 1
- 2016 – 3
- 2017 – 3
- 2018 – 2
- 2019 – 1
- 2020 – 3
- 2021 – 1
Fun fact? None of the three quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl in that period were taken #1 overall. In fact, two didn’t even go in the 1st round. The one who did, Patrick Mahomes, went 10th. Poles was in Kansas City when that happened. Matthew Stafford and Peyton Manning are the only #1 pick quarterbacks to win a title in the past decade. Both did so with different organizations.
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Justin Fields affords the Bears time.
He has two relatively affordable years on his contract. One is his last rookie year, and then the 5th-year option. Chicago has plenty of cap space to navigate that. If they aren’t sold one of the incoming QBs is a no-doubt future start, then they can trade the pick again and keep building out the roster. Poles will have more than enough ammunition to go chasing a new option next year if Fields doesn’t take another step forward. The foundation will be even stronger by then, presuming the team secures another playmaking receiver and further fortifies the offensive line.
If Justin Fields ascends to the elite tier? The Bears will have the ammunition to continuously fortify the roster with blue-chip talent for years to come, hopefully becoming a regular Super Bowl contender. If he doesn’t, they can easily package three 1st round picks to jump up the draft board for their next guy without having to mortgage the future. It is a win-win situation. This way, Poles appeases the fans and locker room by giving Fields more time while still keeping his options open in the near future.
