All signs point to a return home to Atlanta for current Chicago Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields, after a video surfaced from his manager showing Fields seemingly jumping for joy and a muffled “ready to go home?” coming from the background. Nothing is official yet, although rumor has it that the teams are already sorting out the details.
Fields has had three different offensive coordinators in just 3 years, no small task in navigating NFL defenses with Darnell Mooney as your WR1 until recently acquiring the all-pro DJ Moore. The Bears have a decision to make in trading the #1 overall pick and getting an historic haul to build around Fields, or drafting what some are touting the greatest QB prospect since Andrew Luck. The key here is that Fields has his eyes on an extension, and a potential huge payday.
Bears QB Blunders
The Bears don’t exactly have a plethora of franchise QBs when you go down the list. Jim McMahon won the Bears last Super Bowl in 1985, nearly 40 years ago. Recent names like Jay Cutler and Rex Grossman may bring a smile to Bears fans faces, but they certainly didn’t bring much postseason success. The two are a combined 3-3 in playoff appearances. Since then it was a flash in the pan playoff appearance for Mitch Trubisky riding the coattails of an elite defense in 2020. Spot starts from Mike Glennon, Chase Daniel, and Nick Foles didn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of opponents defenses either.
After trading up to draft the Ohio State highlight machine Justin Fields, Bears fans saw perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel of QB woes. Fields has had some statistical success, but it hasn’t directly translated to winning. Of course, to be fair, Fields can’t exactly line up on the defensive side of the ball. However, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan anyway.
It’s not easy to pinpoint exactly why Fields hasn’t panned out the way many thought he could. He can do nearly anything with his legs, and arm strength isn’t an issue either as fans watched him fire deep downfield to all-pro DJ Moore during a mediocre yet hopeful second half of the 2023 campaign. Perhaps it’s been injuries, the lack of weapons, coaching carousels, poor fit, or maybe Fields simply isn’t the franchise QB the Bears envisioned. Whatever the case may be, the clock on Fields, and ownership, is ticking.
Is Caleb the Cure?
Unless you have been living under a rock the last few years, even the most casual of college and professional football fans know who Caleb Williams is. Ever since coming off the sidelines in relief of then top prospect Spencer Rattler and leading the Oklahoma Sooners to victory, Williams has been the talk of the 2024 NFL Draft years prior to the event. The Mahomes comparisons can seem a bit overblown, but the throwing angles, creativity and playmaking outside the pocket cannot be ignored. He appears to have all the tools of the modern day franchise QB.
Caleb Williams could possibly make more in NIL money this year at USC than he will on his rookie contract, expected to be 4 years, somewhere in the realm of $38-$40 million with a fifth year team option. That fifth year option is what is staring the Bears in the face with Justin Fields, while Williams can be a cheaper and potentially franchise changing QB.
The price of a starting quarterback in today’s NFL goes up by the day, it seems, and Justin Fields is no different. This is where the real dilemma resides. Caleb Williams, as astounding of a prospect as he is, is unproven regardless of how high his ceiling may be. However, Williams is going to be significantly cheaper than Fields for the entirety of Caleb’s rookie contract. This is money the Bears can use to build around a potential superstar that you don’t have the chance to draft even every few decades, never mind every year.
