Justin Fields reveals what Ryan Poles told him about Bears offseason plans
By Josh Hill
It’s going to be a big offseason for the Chicago Bears, one that could dictate what direction the team goes in the future.
Chicago has the most cap space in the NFL by a wide margin, with roughly $93 million to play with in free agency.
That’s a big number for a team looking to add players in key areas to start building a Super Bowl contender around quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears front office already started that movement during the season, trading a second-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for star receiver Chase Claypool.
Now the team can truly sit back and assess what pieces should be added to continue getting the most out of its exciting young quarterback. Fields trended toward a true breakout season last year, and established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile quarterbacks still developing in the league. For fans, the Bears top priority this offseason should be to make sure he’s in the best position to succeed and have the type of star turn that Jalen Hurts had with the Philadelphia Eagles this year.
All of the hype about building around Fields is what caused some confusion when the Bears were initially noncommital to him after securing the No.1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are quarterbacks expected to be picked in the Top 5, and both are the reason why everyone thought the Bears landing the top pick would result in a King’s Ransom that gives the team even more assets to use on building around FIelds.
As far as what those plans entail, Fields has said he’d like to be involved. Specifically, Fields told Rich Eisen that he’d like to be in the loop with what the Bears are planning on doing not only with the offseason plan but with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
It appears some of that has been cleared up, at least behind the scenes.
“Ryan [Poles] actually texted me yesterday and said he was going to keep me in the loop with everything,” Fields said.
He also commented on the trade rumors that have been swirling and what happens if the Bears do end up moving him.
“If I do go somewhere else then I go somewhere else,” Fields said of the trade rumors. “My approach toward the game is going to stay the same.”
Moving Fields would be foolish, though, and it feels like he knows that.
The Bears have never had a quarterback like Fields before, and it’s been decades since the franchise has had someone reliable under center. He has the chance to truly change things for the Bears in ways no player has before and could finally be the franchise quarterback the team has been trying to find.
Justin Fields spoke on behalf of Marriott Bonvoy, who he has partnered with to style members for all things Super Bowl LVII week.