Getty Image / Patrick McDermott
The will-they-or-won’t-they saga between the Chicago Bears and quarterback Justin Fields on whether the team will decide to build around him or trade him is one of the biggest stories of the NFL offseason.
That story took another turn on Monday night when Justin Fields unfollowed the Chicago Bears from his Instagram account.
CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli broke the news in funny fashion.
BREAKING: Justin Fields no longer follows the Bears on Instagram pic.twitter.com/MgXSy6tLcg
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) February 20, 2024
This is a story that you couldn’t get 15 years ago. Imagine the headlines of “Shaq unfollows the Lakers on Instagram” back in the 2004 offseason. It would’ve been pandemonium.
But, we have it now, and this is definitely big news.
The Bears have two main options here. They could pick up the fifth-year option on Fields, and trade the number-one overall pick for a bunch of picks to continue building a stacked roster around him. Or, they could trade Fields for much less draft capital, and pick a quarterback at the top of the draft.
It’s a close call. Justin Fields has definitely shown promise in a Bears uniform. It can definitely be argued that the 2021 first-round pick simply has not had enough talent around him or good enough coaching to show off his considerable skill set. Plus, given the quarterbacks at the top of the draft, the Bears could get back an absolute haul for the pick. That’s what happened last year, when they traded the top selection to the Panthers. That’s how they own this pick. They also have their own pick, the ninth-overall selection.
On the other hand, the Bears could trade Fields for much less draft compensation, but could draft a better prospect in Caleb Williams or Drake Maye at the top of the draft. That seems like the more likely option.
Given the fact that, despite the talent, Fields is just 10-28 as a starter and has been one of the least efficient passers in the league in that stretch, who could blame them for moving on?
Either way, it appears Justin Fields thinks the Bears are moving on. It’s possible they informed him of their plans. Pro Football Talk reports the team wants to have a concrete plan soon.