While Chicago Bears fans are looking for hints regarding quarterback Justin Fields' future with the team based on who he is following on Instagram, the team is not being as coy with their intentions.
It was at the Senior Bowl last month where there seemed to have been a shift in the likely outcome for the Bears' quarterback decision. After the season and press conferences by general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, the likeliest scenario seemed to be that Fields would be returning for a fourth season as the team's starting quarterback.
At the Senior Bowl, the first gathering of NFL personnel for the off-season, it seemed that the likeliest outcome shifted from Fields returning as the Bears' quarterback to the team moving in a different direction with Caleb Williams being selected with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Recent reporting from Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated seems to have confirmed that shift. While saying that the Bears were not shopping Fields during Senior Bowl week, the NFL insider did confirm that there is trade interest in Fields and that a direction may be decided by this time next week at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"Such is the case with the Bears and Justin Fields — with the team having gotten a little insight into what his trade value may be. Chicago staffers got inquiries from other teams on Fields in Mobile. And while the Bears haven’t shopped Fields, those conversations did allow the team to start to gauge the 2021 first-rounders worth out there on the market."Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated
It's looking more and more clear that the Chicago Bears will be trading quarterback Justin Fields this off-season.
For as much as Poles wanted fans and other teams to believe that he was going to take the quarterback decision up until the draft in April, it has always been more likely that around the Scouting Combine when a decision would be leaked. The tea leaves regarding the Bears trading Fields are beginning to turn into loud whispers, much like the case was off-season when the team was preparing to trade the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.