Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
After the 2024 season began, the Chicago Bears made a move that many had anticipated: they traded quarterback Justin Fields to make room for a youngster selected with the first pick to start for the team as their starting quarterback.
Despite being expected, Bears general manager Ryan Poles and his son Mason did not take the decision to part ways with Fields lightly.
At the NFL’s annual owners meeting on March 25, Poles told reporters, “probably one of the harder things I had to do,” as reported by Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “On the issue of empathy, I was a little too personal. It was difficult to have that talk with my own son. That puts the difficulty of those movements into perspective because [Fields’] jersey is up in his room, but [I] truly felt that was best for our organization and for Justin.
That’s what I stated during the combine. I wanted to treat him fairly. That’s what we did.
Poles divulged some information regarding his choice to trade Fields, mostly regarding his method of action. He claimed to have driven to head coach Matt Eberflus’ residence after finalizing the trade with Pittsburgh so the two of them could call Fields jointly and break the news to him. They also got in touch with a number of Fields’ closest Bears teammates, something he thinks the players valued.
Poles did not name the players they spoke with, but tight end Cole Kmet and wide receiver DJ Moore had already acknowledged that they had been contacted by the organization over Fields’ trade. Additionally, both athletes appeared appreciative that the organization included them.
Again, that was one of the more difficult things we had to do, but Poles believed it was essential to get us moving in the right path.
Bears See Justin Fields’ Trade Market With Some Surprise
After Super Bowl Weekend in February, the majority of analysts who provided feedback on Fields appeared to believe that the Bears would have a strong trade market for him over the offseason. In an informal survey of league evaluators, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler discovered that most believed Fields was worth “a second- or third-round pick.”
Going one step further, Adam Schefter of ESPN speculated that the Chicago Bears would even be able to obtain a first-round pick in return for their explosive starting quarterback.
Then the NFL’s free agency period started, and quarterback positions all throughout the league started to fill up. While several youthful trade targets, such Sam Howell, Mac Jones, and Desmond Ridder, were quickly traded for mediocre returns, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Gardner Minshew, Sam Darnold, and Russell Wilson signed to fill seasoned starting roles.
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Fields was eventually traded by the Bears to the Steelers in exchange for a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick, which becomes a fourth-round pick if he plays fifty-one percent of the snaps for Pittsburgh in 2024. So, during the 2024 offseason, were Poles surprised by the lackluster trade market for Fields?
By way of Cronin, Poles stated, “I was a little bit surprised.” However, you have to kind of adapt to the market as you conduct research and we speak. Look at the beginning; there are certainly teams searching the draft for men to bolster their rosters. It was actually a smaller pool of teams because playoff teams most likely had someone in the mix.
Ryan Poles Is Still Awestruck by Caleb Williams
Fields is now in the rearview mirror, and the Bears are focusing exclusively on the quarterback position in preparation for their No. 1 pick, which they will use to select from among the best rookies available in the 2024 NFL Draft next month. After expressing strong interest, the league currently believes the Bears will select Caleb Williams of USC with the first overall pick.
Speaking about Williams in Orlando, Poles did nothing to refute that idea either.
About the team’s visit with Williams in Los Angeles last week, Poles described it as “really mature,” according to Cronin. “I think it’s uncommon for a 22-year-old these days, but one of my guys kind of bumped me on it; he never touched his phone.” incredibly deliberate in his interactions, discussing his hobbies and interests. Excellent touchpoint.
The Bears’ official top-30 visit to Halas Hall, where the team will perform its medical testing to make sure there are no unanticipated red flags, is the next — and potentially final — stage in the evaluation process for Williams. Williams wasn’t sure when it would happen on his pro day, but Poles clarified that it would be the first week of April.
Bears supporters will only have to watch and wait for the first night of the draft to arrive on April 25 when Williams’ visit is over.
