Chicago Bears decision at QB is more nuanced than Justin Fields vs. Caleb Williams
What are the Chicago Bears getting by drafting Caleb Williams?
In this scenario, Ryan poles has determined that he wants to move on from Justin Fields and draft a quarterback. My top prospect (and most others') is Caleb Williams. Drake Maye and a few others could also be an option should Poles determine one of them a better prospect than Williams. For the purpose of this exercise, we are going to determine that Williams is their guy and they will need to take him first overall. (One other option could be they trade down and take one of the other QBs and still move on from Fields, but this just shows again how detailed Poles and his staff need to be).
If the Chicago Bears take a quarterback first overall, they are resetting the rookie QB clock. This means from a financial standpoint, Poles can put money in other places instead of allocating $40 million+ to Justin Fields. That's important, but it also means they don't have any extra draft capital to work with either this year, next year, or even the year after that. Now, they have to look at only using their own pick and that could again be on a LT, TE, EDGE or maybe even a FS should they let Eddie Jackson go.
The Bears don't have a second-round pick now that they traded it to the Commanders for Montez Sweat. I don't think Poles is concerned about that though as Sweat is dominating. Give me Sweat over any mid-level first-round prospect this year.
A quick recap
If the Chicago Bears keep Justin Fields, they have the potential to walk away with:
Justin Fields
Marvin Harrison, Jr. or Joe Alt
2025 1st-Round Pick
2026 1st-Round Pick
Any extra fluff (veterans or additional draft picks) Poles can negotiate
If the Chicago Bears move on and take a quarterback first overall, they will walk away with:
Caleb Williams
Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze or Brock Bowers
A rookie QB contract
Draft capital from trading Justin Fields
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As you can see, it's not just about Fields vs. Williams. The Chicago Bears need to dig deep and make sure they don't screw this offseason up. If they choose wrong, Poles' career could be on the verge of being over much sooner than I think he anticipa