For as much debate as Chicago Bears fans had during the first two and a half months over what the team should do at the quarterback position, it seemed that the Bears' front office was having a different debate.
Caleb Williams vs. Justin Fields was the argument that fueled Chicago Bears fans on social media but in comments from annual NFL meetings in Orlando this week, Ryan Poles revealed that wasn't the root of the conversation.
"The problem is, and that’s what I try to explain, it wasn’t Justin vs. one of these rookies. It’s really the timeline and how much runway you have. To get a guy up off the ground, you need to support them with as much talent as possible. Then that fits. It takes so much cap space, which is a good thing if you get to that point. But they have to be the reason you start winning. Then it’s harder to add the talent around them. You can look around the league, and it happens a lot. The teams that can sustain success through that period I think do a really special job."Ryan Poles via NBC Sports Chicago
Don't be fooled, the Bears will be selecting Caleb Williams with the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Though, Williams was not the leading factor for why the team decided to move on from Justin Fields.
From what Poles mentioned, the Bears had made the decision to move on from Fields and it was mostly due to the resetting of the quarterback contract. Poles did acknowledge that there was improvement form Fields since his rookie season but not to the extent that would make the team comfortable in paying the quarterback not only the fifth-year option after the 2024 season but the eventual contract extension.
Look no further than the regret that the New York Giants have. Despite inconsistencies with mild flashes of success, the Giants decided to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160MM contract last offseason and are already looking for an escape plan.
Poles believed that Fields was not going to be the reason that the Bears started to win. Combining that belief with the ability to reset the quarterback contract clock, and that would be the reason why the Bears are moving forward in the direction of Williams.