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Are Justin Fields‘ days with with the Chicago Bears numbered?
Multiple NFL GMs believe that the Bears would be foolish if they did not move on from the former first-round pick this offseason.
The Bears currently hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft thanks to pre-draft trade with the Carolina Panthers a year ago. The Panthers then used that pick to select quarterback Bryce Young.
But Chicago now has a quarterback dilemma of its own. They used the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 draft to select Fields. But the Ohio State product has struggled, going just 8-26 in his 34 career starts and throwing for just 37 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
NFL GMs Say Bears Should Move On From Justin Fields For Caleb Williams
With USC quarterback Caleb Williams the shining star of the 2023 draft, multiple anonymous GMs believe the Bears’ decision is straightforward.
“It would be a clear-cut decision to draft Caleb for me,” an AFC general manager told Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. “The fact that we’re in Year 3 and [they] don’t want to exercise the fifth-year option tells me what I need to know. I just don’t think Fields can win consistently as a passer even though he is gifted physically.”
But that GM isn’t alone.
“When you pass on talented quarterbacks to lean into a guy’s development, which the Bears did when they traded No. 1 last year, you have to be completely sure of that decision to do it a second time,” another AFC general managersaid . “They might not have taken C.J. Stroud with the first pick last year. But he was there for them to do it. Caleb Williams is a no-brainer. And if they get the top pick, he’s there for them. Sometimes the gamble is continuing to pass on players. Fields doesn’t get over the hump, you don’t want to be the guys that passed on both Stroud and Caleb Williams.”
An NFC GM wasn’t as sold on Williams. But even so, he said Chicago should move on from Fields.
“[Caleb Williams] worries me, but he is definitely talented,” they said. “It just buys you more time and a much cheaper contract to keep adding pieces to build the team.”
How much would Fields cost a team wanting to acquire him?
The answers were split.
Two GMs suggested Fields could cost as much as a second-round pick-plus.
But others felt a third-round pick and additional late-round pick would be enough to get a deal across the line.
Either way, it seems as if Fields’ time in Chicago is likely coming to an end.