Will the Chicago Bears keep rolling with quarterback Justin Fields or will they deal him and throw their faith behind blue chip no. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams? That’s been THE story with the historic franchise for the last several weeks.
After Justin Fields’ poor performance in Chicago’s 17-9 loss to the archrival Green Bay Packers on Sunday, that decision may have already been made.
To be fair, the 24-year-old Fields’ subpar showing (11-for-16 for 148 yards) wasn’t entirely his fault. The offensive line played horrendously Sunday at Lambeau Field, allowing five sacks and just generally giving way to a Packers defense that ate them up.
Justin Fields Did Not Rise To The Occasion, Jordan Love Did
But high-end, elite-level NFL quarterbacks are supposed to transcend, like, well, the Packers’ Jordan Love, who handled a surging Bears defense in a key game to notch over 300 passing yards and lead his team to victory.
Fields, as talented as he is, has never been able to do that with the Bears. Chicago has seen flashes of absolute brilliance from the 3-year veteran with the 10-28 record as a starter, but he’s never shown that “I’m putting this team on my shoulders and leading it to success” moxie that someone like Love has shown in less than one full season as the main man.
That shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a knock on Fields. Some team may snatch him up and, if the chemistry is right, he may go on to become an elite at his position. But he’s not there now and may never be there with the Bears. The rest of the team, however, IS close to being elite and the time seems right to roll the dice on a younger, fresher quarterback with a tighter skill set (who will also come cheaper than Fields, who is one season from a pricey fifth-year option).
An Expert Chimes In
Media personality David Kaplan summed the Bears situation up in his post-game assessment from Lambeau Field.
“They’re not good enough at quarterback,” Kaplan asserted. “We’ll find out what [GM] Ryan Poles’ plan is, but as of right now, come on, you’ve gotta be honest, you can love Justin all you want…but guess what? If Caleb Williams checks all the boxes and Ryan Poles says he’s the best thing for the franchise going forward, then I’ll roll with Caleb Williams. If he wants to keep Justin, that’s our GM, I think he does a hell of a job, then I’ll roll with Justin Fields. My gut feeling is you’re going to see a new quarterback in Chicago.”
Fields Says Goodbye to Chicago?
Apparently, Fields, himself gets that vibe.
“Like I said, I control what I can control,” Fields told media after Sunday’s loss. “I’m going to get healthy this offseason, spend time with my family, and get better. Like I said, we went through the same thing last year, we had the No. 1 pick, everybody was asking ‘What if? What if? What if?’ and nothing happened. I’m not saying that nothing might happen [this offseason] cause, shoot, we all don’t know. But I’m not going to let the potential or what if, what if not stress me from enjoying life and going through my everyday life.”
“It would mean a lot,” Fields said, regarding a decision to keep him in Chicago. “I have a pretty good relationship with Ryan and the guys upstairs. At the end of the day, this is a business. They have to make the tough decisions. My job is just to go out there and play my best. It would mean a lot to get that confirmation from them and just really send a message that they trust me to lead this team and be the quarterback.
“[But] That decision is not in my hands. All I can control is what I did do. I gave it my all. Whether it’s here or not, I have no regrets.
“To the City of Chicago, love ya’ll. Appreciate the fans and the support from all the Bears, you know, and in case this is my last rodeo with ya’ll, appreciate ya’ll for everything.”
There’s zero denying that Justin Fields is a classy guy. He’s just not THE guy for the Bears.