What the Chicago Bears are about to do after the season finale this weekend hasn't been seen before. Sure, there has been a debate about replacing a veteran quarterback with a young draft choice in the past, but this scenario is different. Justin Fields isn't some 36-year-old who has watched his best years pass him by. He's 24 and entering his prime. He's also been playing some of the best football of his career. The problem is the Bears hold the #1 overall pick. GM Ryan Poles has the golden ticket to pick any quarterback in the class he wants. The obvious problem is whether he should.
Keeping Fields means the Bears could auction the pick off again for a mountain of capital, further accelerating their rebuild. He'd likely have another year to keep growing with a strong supporting cast. On the other hand, resetting at QB allows the team to maintain a cheap contract at that position while hopefully upgrading their ability to throw the ball. Fields still ranks in the bottom half of the league for all his progress as a passer. There is one other problem an NFL executive confirmed to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.
How bad would the fallout be in the Bears locker room?
“Drafting Caleb may actually be the difficult choice,” the exec said. “That may be a harder decision for them to make than keeping Fields. Drafting Caleb Williams (or another quarterback) is going to send shockwaves through that locker room … which is never fun. That’s an incredibly uncomfortable feeling. But it still might be the right move for the team.”
The Chicago Bears have seen this Fields scenario before.
Chicago finished 2008 with a 9-7 record. Though they failed to make the playoffs, they still had a good team and felt they had a competent leader at quarterback in Kyle Orton. Teammates loved him. However, GM Jerry Angelo felt the Bears needed an upgrade at quarterback if they were going to compete for a Super Bowl. So Orton and multiple 1st round picks were traded to Denver for Jay Cutler. While the Bears may have improved the talent level at that position, many in the locker room felt they lost far more in terms of leadership.
That seems to be the fear with many Chicago Bears fans today. Fields has clearly established himself as a primary locker room leader. Teammates love him. They believe in him. That sort of thing matters. While it is possible Poles can hit a home run at quarterback with that #1 pick, there is also a 40% chance he won't. Is it worth the risk to mess with team chemistry like that? Undoubtedly, this makes the decision even harder for the GM. Fields has done almost everything asked of him except become a top-10 passer.
Sadly, that is one of the most vital components of winning championships these days. Whatever Poles does, it will take lots of guts.
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