6 reasons why the Chicago Bears made the right decision to trade Justin Fields

In the NFL, it doesn't take long for teams to move to the shiny, new object. The Chicago Bears showcased this on Saturday. Justin Fields, after three seasons of being the Chicago Bears' quarterback, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick.

The Chicago Bears move on from Justin Fields after three seasons

As previously mentioned, the NFL is a business that moves fast, and it doesn't wait on the situations that could've been. NFL fans must've forgotten that it took Geno Smith four teams and nine seasons to have his first 4,000-yard season as a passer.

The Chicago Bears aren't in the position to wait for their quarterback to progress into who they need him to be for a handful of seasons. Considering where the Bears stand prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, Justin Fields was put in a strange situation.

Fields is entering his fourth season as an NFL quarterback, and things haven't fully clicked. That being said, it's not solely Fields' fault that his time in Chicago didn't work. Saying one side is the sole reason would be silly. There were a slew of reasons this duo didn't work out.

In 2021, the Chicago Bears probably weren't in the best position to trade up for Justin Fields. Yes, Fields was one of the better prospects in that class. That said, Fields was a move to save Ryan Pace's job. It didn't work out as well as Pace would've likely hoped for, and in walked Ryan Poles the following season.

Poles was handed the keys to a rundown beater with a shiny, new steering wheel (Justin Fields), and was told to make the whole car show-ready (Super Bowl champion) in three seasons. Oh, and the funds it would take to make the car show-ready were already partially tied up with older parts of the car that could be pawned off to afford cheaper, better options down the road. So, Ryan Poles tore down the car, leaving a few pieces alongside the shiny, new steering wheel, and was forced to basically start from scratch.

Now, some people can be upset with how Ryan Poles went about building this new car, given the pieces he had. There were certainly mistakes made along the road (i.e., Chase Claypool). But, even that was a cheap, potentially helpful addition to Justin Fields at the time. Claypool just didn't work out. Had he been even a serviceable option for the Bears for a period of time longer than three games, that trade wouldn't seen as monumentally terrible as it was.

While Ryan Poles might've done a poor job of building directly around Justin Fields in his time with the Chicago Bears, it's hard to say that Ryan Poles hasn't made the Bears significantly better as a team since he was handed the keys. From where the Bears were at the time of Ryan Poles' hiring until where he's brought them to now, it's night and day.

There are only a few quarterbacks in the league who would stay put if in the position of Justin Fields, and those teams don't make selections near the top of the draft for a reason. In most situations, Justin Fields is staying with the Bears. However, in this unique situation, it made plenty of sense for the Chicago Bears to trade Justin Fields away.

Reason No. 1: Justin Fields is due money soon, Chicago Bears would be committed long-term

Entering his fourth season, Justin Fields is soon to be requiring a contract extension. Given the body of work representing his play, it's harder to fork over the money it would take to keep Justin Fields as the starting quarterback.

As Bears fans have found out over the past two off-seasons, it's not too bad having pockets full of cash. Some fans could argue that Poles wasn't active during free agency, but big flashy signings aren't his MO. Re-signing home-grown talent is the preference of Ryan Poles, so being able to bring back Jaylon Johnson with that money holds a higher precedent than going out and signing top Free Agent A to a massive deal.

After being drafted by the Chicago Bears, Fields signed a four-year contract worth $18.8 million, with a fifth-year option. Had the Bears kept Fields this year, they'd owe him approximately $4.7 million and be faced with the option of picking up his fifth year.

The fifth-year option can be a bit tricky, but the value of that fifth-year option is based on three things: position, playing time, and Pro Bowl selections. For starters, Justin Fields' position is quarterback. Next, Justin Fields wasn't selected for any Pro Bowls. Lastly, Justin Fields played in 72.85% of offensive snaps while on the Bears. Based on the league's calculations, Justin Fields' fifth-year option would be $25,664,000 with an AAV of just under $ 9 million.

Though the AAV of $9-million is nice, the cap hit of $25-million makes it a tough bargain.

Now, it's possible to do what the Giants did with Daniel Jones when they signed him to a four-year contract for $160 million. But, that's committing long-term to someone who might not be the solution long-term. A deal for Fields closer to what Green Bay gave Jordan Love seems a bit more likely for Fields' next contract.

The rookie quarterback on a rookie deal, however, is the most ideal of the options presented.

Reason No. 2: Justin Fields is an elite athlete, but an inconsistent passer for Chicago Bears

When looking back on Justin Fields' career with the Chicago Bears, there's no doubt that Fields is one of the most elite athletes to put on a Bears uniform. Athletically, the ceiling can't go high enough to match Fields' potential. However, that wasn't the problem with him.

Fields' main issue, from an outsider's view, was his lack of trust across the entire field.

Maybe that was due to the lack of directly building around him, but Ryan Poles wasn't the offensive quality control coordinator. His job was to make the entire team better, and unfortunately for Fields, that meant being dealt an unfair hand as far as an offensive supporting cast goes.

That doesn't rid Fields of some blame, though.

Time and time again, it appeared that concepts became open too late for Justin Fields when diagnosing where he was going with the ball. Whether it was a lack of trust in his offense line, receivers, or coaching, there was a lack of trust somewhere. Plays that went well, usually, were relatively open concepts. There wasn't much anticipation throughout games, and if there ever was, it wasn't done consistently

Too many times, Justin Fields would pass up the open receiver to showcase his elite athleticism. That wouldn't matter too much if that was a sustainable quarterback process, but it just isn't.

If Fields can find trust within himself as a quarterback, it can all come together for him. However, when presented with the opportunity the Bears are presented with, going a different direction is a hard option to pass up.

Reason No. 3: Chicago Bears have first choice of top-heavy QB draft class

Entering their second draft in a row with the No. 1 overall pick, the Chicago Bears have a much-improved group of prospects this draft class than last.

With the consensus No. 1 pick going back and forth until draft day, not many people can say there was a consensus top pick in last year's draft. And if there was one, it's not the quarterback who ended up performing the best. Bryce Young, who was drafted first, was far less impressive in his rookie season than C.J. Stroud, who was drafted second.

This year, however, the top quarterback is pretty unanimous, especially when criticisms are aimed at football topics rather than what prospects prefer to wear. The biggest critiques of Caleb Williams, from the vocal minority of people, are that he cries after losses, pants his nails, and wore clothing that resembles a dress.

Something those analysts seem to leave out of his scouting profile is that he's a Heisman-winning quarterback who accounted for 120 total TDs and 14 INTs in college. If there was a year to draft a quarterback with the first pick in the NFL, it's the draft class with Caleb Williams in it.

I don't really believe in the term generational, so that won't be used to describe Caleb Williams. He's also not the best prospect ever, as those are clearly rare. Andrew Luck is the best prospect I can remember, and then that's followed by Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow pretty close together. I'd put Caleb Williams in the crew closer to Lawrence and Burrow way before he goes into the tier with Luck.

Williams has his flaws—as most prospects do entering the league— and while that's the case, what he can do is really special. Similar to a shortstop in baseball, Caleb Williams has the ability to make just about any throw, regardless of his platform. Not only that, but the ball can soar 40 yards with the flick of the wrist.

Caleb Williams isn't the best prospect to walk this earth, but he's a prospect the Bears should be over the moon to have the chance to draft him in about a month.

Reason No. 4: Chicago Bears have the back-to-back first overall pick in NFL Draft

Aside from the 2021-22 Jaguars and the 2017-18 Cleveland Browns, the NFL hasn't had too many instances of the same team drafting first in back-to-back drafts. The Chicago Bears take a seat in NFL history, again, as one of the only franchises to hold back-to-back No. 1 picks.

NFL franchises with back-to-back No. 1 picks

1. 2021-22 Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence and Travon Walker)
2. 2017-18 Cleveland Browns (Myles Garrett and Baker Mayfield)
3. 1999-2000 Cleveland Browns (Tim Couch and Courtney Brown)
4. 1994-95 Cincinnati Bengals (Dan Wilkinson and Ki-Jana Carter)
5. 1976-77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Lee Roy Selmon and Ricky Bell)
6. 1939-40 Chicago Cardinals (Ki Aldrich and George Cagefo)
7. 1936-37 Philadelphia Eagles (Jay Berwanger and Sam Francis)
   
   

The Chicago Bears will become the eighth team in NFL history to have back-to-back No. 1 picks, and while it was smart to hold off on drafting a quarterback with last year's No. 1 pick, this is the year to get the quarterback position.

Not only were they not the team that should bring in a quarterback last year, but Justin Fields still had a chance to prove his abilities. Ryan Poles likely knew he would prefer either Justin Fields or one of the 2024 QB prospects as his long-term decision, and this year, he shows that off with the No. 1 pick.

Reason No. 5: Chicago Bears are the best landing spot for a first-overall quarterback ever

When it comes down to players being drafted No. 1 overall, a fair majority aren't going into desirable environments. For example, it's hard to make an argument that Bryce Young was drafted into an environment that will allow for his progression to be as efficient as possible.

And for some of the reasons there's a complaint about Ryan Poles not surrounding Fields with enough talent, it makes sense that now is the time Poles gets his rookie quarterback.

Having a strong supporting case makes for an easier transition from college to the NFL, and with expectations as high as they are going into next year, a strong supporting cast is necessary— regardless of who the Bears draft as their quarterback.

Before anyone is drafted, the starting quarterback is walking into an offense with:

RB: D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson
WR: D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr.
TE: Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett
OL: Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins
DEF: Gervon Dexter Jr., Montez Sweat, T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jack Sanborn, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard III

Not many No. 1 overall quarterbacks walk into this situation. Now is the time to learn from the mistake learned with Justin Fields— though, Poles wasn't the one who drafted Fields in the first place.

The main thing with the Bears moving on from Justin Fields is that winning cures all. And considering the spot the No. 1 pick is getting drafted into, it appears winning is on the horizon.

Reason No. 6: Ryan Poles and Chicago Bears did right by Fields in Steelers trade

When the Chicago Bears and Justin Fields were in the peak of "What's going on?" mode, Ryan Poles made it clear that he wanted to do right by Justin Fields and his future. It was clear that Poles knew the situation wasn't ideal, and in a human business, it was a classy move.

Poles shouldn't make a habit of doing deals in this fashion, as the Justin Fields return was wildly lackluster— especially given the deals done for quarterbacks prior to Fields this off-season.

But, in a business where word spreads quickly and influences future decisions made for future free agents, it's good to go out in a bad situation with the right approach.

There were reports that claimed the Bears were given better offers for Fields to go to a team where he'd have no clear future in sight. So, to do right by Fields, Ryan Poles sent Fields to a destination where a future plan looks more concrete than other buyers.

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