There is a strange sense in seeing Justin Fields' offseason workouts and realizing that he is no longer the Chicago Bears' starting quarterback.
The Bears appear to be moving firmly in the direction of selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and Fields will be trying to unseat Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While the Steelers have been steadfast in saying that Wilson will be the starting quarterback for the team at the start of training camp, Mike Tomlin has also said that every spot is open for competition when talking about Fields' chances of potentially being the team's starting quarterback.
Some Bears fans still have frustration over the fact that the Bears were only able to get a condition 2025 sixth-round selection for Fields.
It's become clear that for the Bears, the value in moving Fields was the fact that the team was putting themselves in a position to create the best landing spot for Williams to take over as the face of the franchise once he is drafted. It's become clear that Poles wanted to make sure that Fields' departure was handled delicately.
That would be why it's no surprise to see more confirmation that the Bears received a stronger offer for Fields than the one they took with the Steelers.
"Bears general manager Ryan Poles ultimately followed through on a combine pledge to "do right by Justin," dealing Fields to Pittsburgh over at least one better offer from a team with an established quarterback starter, a Bears team source said."Brooke Pryor via ESPN
It's likely that the team was the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles had checked in on Fields before trading for Steelers' 2023 starting quarterback Kenny Pickett. Fields would have been a true backup behind Jalen Hurts with the Eagles and likely would not have the same path to a starting spot that he currently has with the Steelers.
It's also likely that the "better offer" was likely fourth or fifth-round pick in this year's draft. While that is, by definition, a better offer, it's not one that is so better to the extent that the Bears made the wrong decision.