It will still be a few months before the Chicago Bears set their course in stone at quarterback. Justin Fields remains employed by the organization. He’s beloved in the locker room. Nobody knows for sure what the future holds. Right now, it sounds like the plan of action is straightforward. GM Ryan Poles hopes to draft a quarterback #1 overall. Most believe that will be Caleb Williams. If that is the plan, the obvious countermove would be trading Fields to whichever team is willing to offer the biggest package of picks.
However, one would be incorrect if they thought that was the only option on the table. There is another people haven’t talked much about. Adam Schefter brought it up on ESPN. It appears the Bears have had internal discussions about drafting a quarterback at #1 while also keeping Fields.
The idea sounds absurd at first. Why would the Bears keep Fields when they can get a solid return for him in a trade? Not to mention that it might create an awkward situation in the locker room. Yet it’s important to remember who is in charge.
Poles may wish for Justin Fields to be Alex Smith.
Don’t forget the Bears GM spent a decade with the Kansas City Chiefs as a scout and personnel director. He was there when the team drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017. Many people forget that the Chiefs actually sat him for the entirety of that year, leaving veteran Alex Smith as the starter. The idea was obvious. They wanted Mahomes to take time absorbing the offense and learning the speed and complexity of the NFL level without taking the hits. He got to watch Smith operate. A year later, Kansas City traded Smith and elevated Mahomes to the starting job. He was an instant success.
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Sitting a young quarterback is not a popular tactic these days, but it’s been proven to work quite a few times in recent years. Jordan Love just threw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons. Jalen Hurts sat in Philadelphia for most of 2020. Brock Purdy sat for most of 2022. Obviously, those guys weren’t the #1 pick in the draft, but Carson Palmer was, and he sat his entire rookie year. If this is something the Bears think would increase the young man’s odds of success, it’s worth considering.
Justin Fields is a professional. He would likely embrace the challenge and use the season as a chance to elevate his stock going into 2025. Will it happen? Doubtful. The Bears are likely to get a good enough offer to trade him, but it is a smart decision to at least discuss the idea.
Not a snow balls chance in hades that Fields goes along with the program here … just, not, gonna, happen!
@ Dr. Melhus agreed, doubtful you’d get a woman in your bed. Unless of course she brings her brother and a strap-on to service you, douche bag
Nah, time to move on and recoup some draft capital for Fields. It serves no useful purpose to have him linger knowing he would be gone at seasons end. Then there’s the locker room issue. Just trade him ASAP…..
On an open competition, the analytics point to Fields. Bigger, faster, stronger, better against top 25 teams, great leadership qualities and a dedicated competitor. Williams lost more games last year than Fields lost his entire college career. Williams ducked out of his teams bowl game, and his replacement threw 6 TD’s with team mates being quoted saying, “We finally a team” after that bowl game victory. Get off the hype of Williams and the revolving turnstile of the QB1 search. Fields is the guy. IMO
In an ideal world, yes, a rookie QB should sit, but not always. I’d be okay taking my lumps with Caleb’s rookie mistakes. Same for Penix Jr. Fields doesn’t deserve anything except the opportunity to compete for a job if he’s still on the team.