The Chicago Bears allowed Justin Fields three years to make things work before abandoning ship. While it’s not quite that simple, the end result is they gave up on their presumptive “franchise quarterback”. Thanks to a shrewd trade, they held the first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which they used to draft QB Caleb Williams, their new presumptive franchise guy.
And the Bears knew they had the first-overall pick from the outset, of course—and so did Justin Fields. He told Steelers teammate Cameron Heyward that he “had a feeling” all along the Bears would trade him. He recalled the exit meeting process and their conversations, saying, “You know how to read somebody”.
More specifically, “They said, ‘We’re in a tricky situation right here. A situation we’ve never been in before’”, Fields recalled. “But we were in the same situation the year before”. That’s right, the Bears also held the first-overall pick in 2023. But they traded it to the Carolina Panthers, getting back the pick that turned into Williams. Carolina drafted Bryce Young, whom they just benched, so that worked out well.
Did the Bears not see a franchise player in Young, or did they still believe in Justin Fields? Did they give up on Fields last year, or did they see even more in Caleb Williams? Either way, what’s done is done, and Fields is happy with how it worked out.
“At that point, it’s just training and wondering where you’re gonna go”, he recalled of his mindset during the uncertainty. He noted that it dragged out longer than he anticipated. “But luckily, they didn’t do me too bad by letting me choose where I wanted to be. Because I wanted to be here”.
That’s an interesting choice of words because Justin Fields supported Steelers teammate Russell Wilson last week. After leading the team to a win over Wilson’s former employer, he said he was happy to get that win for Russ because the Broncos did him dirty.
Fields corroborates what we already knew: The Bears allowed him to select which trade offer he preferred. Chicago ultimately took less in compensation for him because they wanted to “do right” by him—within reason.
But since leaving Chicago, Justin Fields is experiencing something new: winning. In three starts, he has the first three-game winning streak of his career. He went 10-28 with the Bears, including 6-26 in his first 32. While he finished in Chicago on a 4-2 run, he still posted a 5-8 record in 2023.
I’m sure many in the Bears organization hope the Justin Fields trade proves to be mutually beneficial. He still has the support of his former Bears teammates, but they had a business decision to make. And clearly, their methods weren’t working with him, even if Pittsburgh’s are. Just because a player is successful in one place doesn’t mean he can be successful anywhere.
