The Chicago Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason, where he’ll compete for the starting job with Russell Wilson.
The move, which was expected all offseason, was made in preparation for the arrival of Caleb Williams, who will be the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Fields failed to live up to the hype, and general manager Ryan Poles opted to move on (and reset the rookie quarterback contract) with Williams.
No matter what happens, the Bears aren’t going to regret trading Fields. The hope is that Williams will be a star in the NFL, as he was in college, but they won’t regret moving Fields even if Williams doesn’t turn out to be good. If Fields turns out to be a good player in Pittsburgh, it will be because they know what they are doing.
The Bears have never developed a quarterback, and Fields wasn’t given a fair shot at becoming a star. He’s a very athletic player who has talent, but the Chicago wasn’t able to unlock it, and they were never going to be able to. Poles had other ideas when he was hired, and Fields had to be great to change his mind. He wasn’t.
It was the right decision to move on from Fields, as the Bears needed to start over. All eyes will be on him when he gets his opportunity in Pittsburgh, but Chicago will have already moved on. This franchise should have higher hopes than what they’ve been given in recent years.
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