3 reasons Chicago Bears have to move on from Justin Fields

The Justin Fields debate has been a hot topic around the Chicago Bears for months now, and it appears that it will continue a lot closer to the NFL draft than last year. While there are valid reasons to keep him, there are just as many good reasons to move on. Why should the Chicago Bears draft a quarterback first overall and move on from Justin Fields?

3. The Chicago Bears have to answer big questions with Justin Fields' salary

A lot of supporters of Justin Fields try to take away from the debate of Fields or the top quarterback in the draft by noting that the real debate is Fields, along with a heap of assets in a trade down would be counter to the top overall pick. However, that is discounting too much from the other side. 

The first overall pick will be on a four-year deal, making roughly $10M per year. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears will have to decide on a fifth-year option for Justin Fields that will be roughly $22M. They could decline this, but then Fields would enter the year with a chance to hit free agency if he played. The Bears would have to pick this up if they did not dratf a quarterback. 

More than that, they probably would have to be talking extension with Fields, considering they are passing on top talent for the next four to five years. Would they rather pay the top quarterback $10M over the next four years or Justin Fields $40M over the next four years? That is when things get more complicated. 

As Justin Fields ages, his running will be less valuable. He has not shown enough as a passer to be trusted with that type of long-term money. This is a chance for the team to make a clean break, and they should.