The Chicago Bears have one of the biggest decisions to make in recent franchise history and it involves the future of their former first round QB, Justin Fields.
With the No. 1 overall pick in April’s 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears brass can either select one of the two “can’t miss” QB prospects in Caleb Williams (USC) or Drake Maye (UNC) according to most NFL talent evaluators.
Or they can leverage the No. 1 overall pick, and continue to build around Fields, who has struggled at times but appeared to take significant steps forward this season.
If the Chicago Bears trade down again in 2024 and keep Justin FIelds, they could get a ton of assets to help set him up for future success. According to a recent report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Courtney Cronin, Chicago could get an “immense” return by parting with this year’s No. 1 overall pick, citing several executives who believe the team would land a larger return than 2023.
“Those execs believe the price to get to No. 1 could be two future first-rounders on top of this year’s pick, along with a variation of a Day 2 pick and/or a premium veteran player on a manageable contract,” Fowler and Cronin wrote.
The alternative is the Chicago Bears use the No. 1 selection on a quarterback—likely either Williams or Maye—and moves on from Justin Fields. The 2021 first-round pick hasn’t quite lived up to expectations over his first three NFL seasons.
Fields flashed at times in 2023, and struggled mightily in other big moments. The former Ohio State star finished the year with 2,562 passing yards (22nd in the NFL), 16 touchdowns (20th), nine interceptions and a QBR of 43.2 (23rd).
If the Bears choose to move Fields, the 24-year-old could bring in a second- or third-round pick in a pre-draft trade, per a consensus from an informal poll of league evaluators conducted by ESPN.
Chicago Bears All-Pro Jaylon Johnson Supports Justin Fields, Torches Coaching Staff For His Early Struggles
It’s no secret the Bears locker room is fully behind Justin Fields, as plenty of prominent players on both sides of the ball of spoken up in support of their QB with the constant debate looming over the organization.
But every one of his teammates typically points to his undeniable talent when defending Fields. There hasn’t been a Bears player speak up about the in-depth issues that many inside the locker room have led directly to the young signal caller’s struggles.
That changed on Wednesday when Chicago Bears All-Pro Jaylon Johnson opened up the discussion to a different level on “All Facts No Brakes” with Keyshawn Johnson.
Johnson immediately noted how hard it his for a young quarterback to develop with multiple coaches and coordinators in and out during the most critical time as they transition from college to the NFL.
“For me being in it, it’s tough, it’s hard, because you know the talent that’s there already,” Johnson said about Justin Fields. “You know, kind of the situation. I think it’s tough for me and him having different coordinators, different coaches, different regimes come in and out, and I think it’s truly hard to adjust as a young quarterback being able to do that”
The Chicago Bears star defender then directly took a shot at the coaching staff, who once again, is in search of yet another offensive coordinator after firing Luke Getsy.
“I definitely for me can see the talent that he has — from practice, the throws he can make, the accuracy. You can definitely tell when he’s confident and when he’s not confident, when he’s settled in the pocket and when he’s not. I feel like he just looks kind of a lot different. I feel like going in and just saying, ‘We’ll just get rid of him. He’s not the answer.’ I don’t think that’s it. I think it’s kind of taking the easy way out and making the coaches not take accountability because I believe the coaches have a big part in developing that quarterback and I think that he hasn’t had the opportunity to be truly developed yet going on his third coordinator in his fourth year.”
It’s abundantly clear Johnson believes the Bears have failed Justin Fields, from coaching and developing to not surrounding him with an arsenal of weapons. If Chicago opts to keep him as Johnson is advocating, the team would be in prime position to add significant draft capital to add talent to play alongside DJ Moore, who the team traded for ahead of the 2023 season.
“I think honestly it’s about the people around him. I think it starts with the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator teaching and molding and building him into being that quarterback. Even Mahomes, he wasn’t who he was when he first came in. He was behind Alex Smith, he got built, he got molded into being who he is. I think it’s really about that part first and then you get some dogs around him — an O-line that can consistently hold up, a good running game, receivers — we got DJ and we were building some good things on offense but we definitely need more playmakers and guys to put him in the best position.”
It’s clear one of the Chicago Bears top players wants the team to keep Justin Fields and has been the first to take a public stance on how the organization has failed him so far. It will be interesting to see what happens when April comes around.
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