As a former player and now GM of the Chicago Bears, Ryan Poles has had to make some very difficult decisions that can truly affect the outcome of a player’s career. One such difficult decision was moving on from quarterback Justin Fields, trading him to the Pittsburgh Steelers in mid-March for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Speaking to reporters Monday from the NFL’s Owners Meetings in Orlando, Poles called the decision to trade Fields one of the hardest things he’d had to do in his life. One day later, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, Poles reiterated that stance due to how his family — particularly his son — feels about Fields.
But despite it being a tough decision, he knows Fields is landing in a good spot with the Steelers, which should have Steelers everywhere excited about what they are getting in the fourth-year quarterback.
Asked by the McAfee Show’s resident Steelers fan Tone Digz, Poles spoke glowingly of Fields the person.
“You’re getting a great kid. He works his butt off, he’s dynamic. We’ve all seen that in terms of how he moves,” Poles said regarding Fields and what the Steelers are getting in the former Ohio State quarterback. “The person’s outstanding. You won’t be wrong there at all.”
Fields is certainly a dynamic quarterback, something he’s shown time and time again through his first three seasons in the NFL as a starting quarterback. There’s plenty of reason to be excited about that from the Steelers’ perspective on the field, as he’ll add a new dimension to the Steelers’ offense with his rushing abilities.
But Poles focused on the off-the-field stuff and the character standpoint with Fields. He was beloved in Chicago on and off the field—he still is. He made a tremendous impact in the Chicago area off the field, knowing that it’s about more than just being a good player but also a good role model.
That’s, in part, why it was likely so hard for Poles to move on from Fields. And why it will be so difficult for presumably Caleb Williams to step into Chicago and try to replace Fields as the face of the franchise.
The Steelers are fortunate they are getting a person like Fields off the field. He’s ready-made for the spotlight whenever it finds him, and he conducts himself at a high level, which is very fitting for a franchise quarterback. The Steelers appear in safe hands there, long term, should that be the route they go.
