There’s been plenty of speculation about Justin Fields’ future with the Chicago Bears, which comes with the territory of having the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Bears GM Ryan Poles expressed his commitment to Fields during his end of year press conference in January, where he said he’d have to be “blown away” to consider taking a quarterback at first overall.
During his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, Poles said his stance hasn’t changed. The plan — “right now” — is for Fields to be the starting quarterback in 2023, but Poles is still going to do his due diligence on the quarterbacks in this draft class — like a good GM would do. Poles said he’s communicating with Fields throughout the process.
While Poles confirmed the Bears have been receiving interest for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, he said no teams have called about Fields’ availability in a potential trade.
All signs point toward the Bears moving forward with Fields as their starting quarterback in 2023, but Poles isn’t ruling anything out this early. It’s his job to do homework on the top quarterbacks in this class, which includes Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, especially as Chicago sits atop the draft.
But what exactly would it take for Poles to be “blown away” by another quarterback?
“When you watch them over and over and go, ‘Wow. That’s different,'” he said.
Poles praised Fields for making “wow” plays that showed his explosive playmaking ability last season. But he’s also expecting more from Fields in Year 3.
“He’s got to take the next step in his game,” Poles said, “and I’m excited to see that because I think he’s going to.”
