The general consensus is that the Chicago Bears will ultimately trade Justin Fields this offseason, but if Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff have a significant say in the matter, the Bears’ front office may have some serious soul searching to do.
According to Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Fields has endeared himself to Chicago’s coaches, and they made want him around in 2024 and beyond.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy or quick,” a Bears team source said. “It was always going to be a process and going to be hard.”
Of course, general manager Ryan Poles will have the final say in what the team decides to do at quarterback. Chicago owns the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft (via the Carolina Panthers), and the team is widely expected to take one of the top signal-callers in this year’s draft class. However, Bears coaches apparently love Fields’ potential.
“This is a high-ceiling player — there’s much more he can tap into,” the source added.
Fields has certainly lacked consistency, but there is no question that he has shown flashes of brilliance this season, like this past weekend when he went 20-for-32 with 268 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 11 times for 45 yards and a score in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The 24-year-old also appeared to be on the verge of breaking in Weeks 4 and 5 when he totaled eight passing touchdowns and just one interception. However, he suffered a dislocated thumb in Week 6, knocking him out for four straight games and throwing a wrench into his progression.
On the season overall, Fields has thrown for 2,414 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine picks while completing 61 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 85.8. Additionally, he rushed for 630 yards and four scores. All of that work came over the course of 12 starts, where Fields went 5-7.
The Ohio State product has gone 10-27 as a starter since being taken with the 11th overall pick by Chicago back in 2021, so it has definitely not been smooth sailing for Justin Fields.
That being said, it’s clear the coaches feel a certain way about the youngster, and we’ll see how much sway their feelings ultimately have in Poles’ decision after the season.
The Bears are 7-9 and will face the Green Bay Packers in the season finale this Sunday.
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