The Chicago Bears ushered in a new era when they traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, clearing the way for incoming rookie Caleb Williams (most likely).
General manager Ryan Poles met with the media for the first time since the Fields trade at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, where he said there was “a lot to unpack” when it came to trading Fields.
“There was a choppy start in his rookie year,” Poles said, via Sun-Times. “And when I came in, we had some cleaning up to do, which delayed another year of adding talent and supporting. And then in terms of the game, I feel like he was making strides and improving.”
Poles also emphasized the importance of the timeline with having a rookie quarterback under contract, and it seems that played a huge role in the decision.
“It’s really the timeline and how much runway you have,” Poles said. “Because to get a guy up off the ground, you need to support him with as much talent as possible. And then that flips because it takes so much cap space.”
#Bears GM Ryan Poles on trading Justin Fields: pic.twitter.com/eLDT2FvOa5
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) March 25, 2024
“Having that conversation with my own son was hard,” Poles said. “His jersey’s up in his room.”
Poles and Eberflus also made sure to call Bears veterans before the trade was finalized to explain the move.
“They understand that there is a business part to it,” Poles said. “It’s not something that just because you trade someone, you don’t like them, you don’t appreciate them.”
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