Rumors have swirled about whether or not the Chicago Bears will trade quarterback Justin Fields and draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 in the 2024 NFL draft. This has been the talk for months now and it seems to be wearing on Fields, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021.
The Atlanta Falcons have been mentioned as a possible trade destination for Fields, who unfollowed the Bears on social media and then followed a few of the key Falcons offensive players, like Kyle Pitts, that he would be working with if he was traded to Atlanta on draft night.
Why Did Justin Fields Unfollow Chicago Bears On Social Media?
On Wednesday, Fields addressed the speculation while speaking with the “33rd Team” podcast hosts the St. Brown brothers.
During the interview, Fields gave his honest feedback about all of the rumors, why he unfollowed his team and says he just wants this situation to be over.
“I just want it to be over,” Fields said. “Let me know if I am being traded. Let me know if I am staying.”
Fields told the St. Brown brothers that if he had a choice he would want to stay in Chicago and finish the job.
“Yeah, of course I want to stay. I can’t see myself playing in another place.. If it was up to me I would want to stay in Chicago.”
Trade Talk Having Negative Effect On Justin Fields
There’s still two more months until the draft, and all of the talk is clearly having a negative effect on Fields, who may want to stay in Chicago but definitely can’t feel secure considering the uncertainty involving his situation.
He’s clearly not a priority for the team outside of being a trade piece. Based on Fields’ statement, the front office and ownership have not given him a vote of approval. They also haven’t said publicly that they are committed to trading Fields, and he’s done with the back and forth.
“It’s something I don’t want to see on my timeline,” Fields said in explaining why he unfollowed the Bears. “I’m about to go on vacation. I don’t want to hear no football.”
“Every Bears post it’s either, keep Fields or we want Caleb. I’m, just tired of it.”
If the Chicago Bears don’t trade Fields, it will be almost impossible for him to trust the organization that told him he was the future then tried to dump him three years later, having never put any elite weapons around him so that he could reach his full potential.
Is Caleb Williams The Answer?
Even if Chicago brings in a new quarterback next season — another rookie — there’s no guarantee that Williams will perform that much better than Fields with the team as currently constructed.
It really depends on how much GM Ryan Poles and the front office covets Williams, who has been called everything from the next Patrick Mahomes to the next “bust.”
As far as the Bears are concerned and the manner in which they are handling this situation, there’s a reason why some franchises seem to win and have the respect of their players, while others are always scrambling to catch up.
The top franchises hit rough spots, but because of the belief in a winning system and a progressive culture, hard times are often short lived.
When it comes to quarterback play, the Chicago Bears, who haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1985, have had some of the worst in league history. In fact, when a franchise has never produced a 4,000-yard passer, not sure that anyone can trust the front office to make the right move when it comes to a signal-caller.
In 2023, Fields ranked 22nd in passing yards (2,562), 20th in TD passes (16) with nine picks and a QBR rating of 46.1, good for 23rd in the league. So he ranked in the bottom half of quarterbacks offensively, although he did show flashes.
We can all agree that the Bears’ offensive identity is still very much a work in progress and putting any doubt in Fields’ head is a suicide move if they plan on keeping him. Going to a team like Atlanta, that has weapons all over the offense, is probably best for Fields. A major upgrade, if his ego can deal with it.
The easiest thing for an inept front office to do is blame the talent it drafted when things don’t work out. The draft rumors circulating around Fields’ future with the Bears has been one of the hottest “football-related” topics this offseason.
While the talk is exciting for the fan base, it’s disrespectful to Fields, who needs to prepare to be a starter somewhere next season. Clearly the Chicago Bears are burning both ends of the candle while they decide what they want to do with that No. 1 pick. Which is probably just based on which team is willing to allow Chicago to fleece them.
Fields, who has shown some improvement each season since being drafted and basically thrown to the wolves, isn’t happy about being left in limbo regarding his future.
Who can blame him?
