Justin Fields might’ve played his final game as a Chicago Bear.
Fields, the former 11th overall pick in 2021, has long served as a beacon of hope for a franchise snakebitten at the quarterback position. If there was one player who could overcome the franchise’s inability to develop a quarterback, the belief was it would be Fields.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, as evidenced in Sunday’s brutal loss to the Green Bay Packers, where Fields wasn’t helped out by his offensive line or play caller, two staples of his three-year tenure in Chicago.
Fields was asked about whether he was confident he’d done enough to return next season — and he got honest while also issuing a heartfelt goodbye…just in case.
“I mean, I’m not sure,” Fields said. “That decision is not in my hands. All I can control is what I did do. I gave it my all. Whether it’s here or not, I have no regrets.
“To the City of Chicago, love ya’ll. Appreciate the fans and the support from all the Bears, you know, and in case this is my last rodeo with ya’ll, appreciate ya’ll for everything.”
Now, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has an important decision to make at the quarterback position — stick with Fields or use the first overall pick to draft a rookie, most likely Caleb Williams.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Chicago hadn’t made a decision on Fields ahead of the Week 18 finale. That decision will come after Poles and co. have evaluated Fields and the quarterback prospects in this draft class.
“The thing is, we had the same topics and stuff last year,” Fields said after the loss Sunday. “It’s not like we didn’t have the No. 1 pick last year. It’s going to be the same thing. Like I said, I control what I can control. I’m going to get healthy this offseason, spend time with my family, and get better. Like I said, we went through the same thing last year, we had the No. 1 pick, everybody was asking ‘what if? What if? What if?’ and nothing happened. I’m not saying that nothing might happen [this offseason] cause, shoot, we all don’t know. But I’m not going to let the potential or what if, what if not stress me from enjoying life and going through my everyday life.”
But this is nothing new for Fields — he went through this last season, as well, with Chicago owning the No. 1 pick. While they ultimately opted to trade the top selection for a haul, the same isn’t necessarily a guarantee this time around. But if they do stick with Fields, it would say a lot about their belief in him.
“It would mean a lot,” Fields said. “I have a pretty good relationship with Ryan and the guys upstairs. At the end of the day, this is a business. They have to make the tough decisions. My job is just to go out there and play my best. It would mean a lot to get that confirmation from them and just really send a message that they trust me to lead this team and be the quarterback.”
