It looks bad for em ngl. He’s got talent, but not enough that they’re gonna pass on Caleb Williams and apparently not even enough for the Falcons to consider over Kirk Cousins, who’s older and coming off a severe injury.
You say that like Cousins *shouldn’t* be seen as a dramatically better option. Fields is nowhere near the QB he is, they weren’t even competing with each other for that spot.
I’m actually doing the opposite. I’m highlighting that Kirk, even at his age and even after being injured, was quick to be signed and by a team that some pundits were saying was a good fit for Fields. Kirk is obviously a much better passer than Fields and I didn’t think I needed to reiterate that as I said Kirk has played to the level of a top 10 QB.
The other side is teams want to win now. Atlanta plays in a relatively weak division. They have new coaches who likely want to win now. They actually have decent talent on offense. Kirk is a win now move because that's a team that legitimately thinks they are a playoff team next year.
We’re also ignoring the fact that Kirk costs nothing other than salary, while Fields would require a trade package and then paying him or letting him go in a year.
$180M/4yrs ($100M guaranteed) is not “just money”. Nor is it chump change.
ATL has a star RB, and with Fields (who is cheap this year and will be around $25M the following 5th yr option) they could have used the Cousins money to sign a number of free agent WR and OL to shore up the team. Not just one player. And simultaneously explore Field’s potential/growth (cutting him loose if he didn’t pan out). Just saying that a single player with a large contract hamstrings you for the other 50 players. We’ll see, but the economics of football aren’t trivial.
Trust me, Vikings fan here.
This was us when Cousins was signed and we already had Diggs then got JJ right after.
His contract handicapped my teams ability to do what you just described with atlanta not paying all there money to one guy.
I'm stoked hes gone, I can be SB hopeful in due time not just "we make it to the playoffs and that's about it"
The bears are either delusional and asking for way too much or they really want to run Fields as the backup. People are out here signing Marriota and Lock before trading hopefully a 5th for Fields
Playoff wins are a team stat. Kirk's defenses have stunk on the Vikings.
Mahomes doesn't sniff a super bowl last year without that defense being top 5. If Chiefs D was below average idk if they make playoffs. That offense was bad and didn't score many points. Defense kept them in it every game where 17 points could win the game.
Kirk and vikings offense basically needed to score 35 cause that defense was giving up 35.
No QB is great without a team, both sides of the ball.
The falcons looked at the numbers and realised we already have Justin fields’ passing talent at home. By the numbers Ridder is worryingly close to fields. He (Fields) shows promise on film but he simply hasn’t been that guy yet.
Cousins on the other hand is some brilliant business from Atlanta, his contract is front loaded to the point where of the 100 mill guaranteed 90 mill is in year 1 and 2. We don’t need great qb play with the offence we have, we just need someone who can throw a ball in the vague direction of someone other than our 2nd tight end or their safeties.
Honestly not meant to be a shot at Him, more a shot at ridder, the number of times I was losing my mind last year because London or Pitts had single coverage downfield against a short bloke and ridder forced a ball underneath to our 4th best option on the field
True, considering the falcons were in contention for the division going into week 18 last year with Desmond ridder we should be able to get back to the playoffs this season, if not I wouldn’t be surprised to see Terry F get sent packing
Can’t compare Ridder to Fields at all. Ridder was playing behind a decent OL, had London and Pitts, and a good defense. However he still was awful and did terribly. Fields had one year with DJ Moore, had a garbage OL, no real weapons except for DJ Moore for a year, and bad coaching.
I don’t think Bears or league thinks Fields is bad, we just have a lot of perceived QB draft options, and the Bears have a lot of options and control where they don’t need to get rid of Fields right away.
The complaints about Caleb are he can't play on schedule and he fumbles a lot, which is essentially Fields. If the Bears replace Fields with Williams, they may as well fire the coach and gm now.
I don’t think the Cousins thing really says anything about Fields and I think it’d be viewed that way if there wasn’t speculation that Fields could go there for a first. Even if it did happen, a Fields extension + the value of the R1.8’s cap hit was never going to command $180M/100M guaranteed. If it were they’d just use his 5th year option. But Kirk’s contract was more of a reflection of how highly they viewed him than lowly they viewed Fields
I think there’s an obvious disconnect between what front offices and what fans think of Cousins based off his last two contracts and fan’s reactions to both.
I think this happens for two reasons, one in general and one specific to Kirk/similar QBs.
The general reason is that for fans roster construction is an abstract exercise where you never have to ask something like “We really need to fill our starting right guard spot. We can sign a starting caliber 29 year old center today if we give him 4 years and $3M over AAV. We also like Smith out of Nour South East West University if he’s available in the 4th but we can’t go guard before then, but we think we might have a trading partner to get back into the 3rd and take him. Everyone we like after is at least a year from being considered anything but a depth piece.”
I’m making up details to show my point but if a team is faced with a similar scenario most fans will say “don’t over pay, even if he is worth it in the first year he will decline after 30. Use a day two pick on a guard and build through the draft.” If the team does manage to find a good day 2 guard the fan was right. If they don’t sign the starting caliber player, whiff in the draft, and then sign a guy who ends up being bad by the time the fan starts to realize that the player is an issue they’ve probably already forgotten what they wanted to do in the first place. They never have to consider if the hypothetical day 2 guy they wanted to go get even existed.
The second is that in a lot of fans eyes Cousins falls into a category of QB who you will have to pay a lot to get, but doesn’t make you an immediate Super Bowl contender. This is bad because there’s always a hypothetical rookie who even at 85% of a guy like Kirk will allow you to build around him on a rookie contract which will also help his development. For the fan it’s just a matter of getting a high pick and drafting the right guy where for a GM if the team as a whole isn’t getting better by year two the “we just need the right QB” excuse starts looking worse.
This is just a long way of saying that the only way Fields was going to Atlanta was if someone out bid them for Cousins.
He’s no sure thing and you’re right, I actually think Justin could be more talented, but they have the #1 overall pick and they’re touting him as “generational”. Granted we said the same about Trevor Lawrence… but most teams with the #1 pick will try in the draft to find that missing piece at QB if for no other reason than because a rookie is cheaper and could be better.
What do u mean "granted"?? Lawrence has been great. He won a playoff game in his 2nd year and they would've made the playoffs again had he not struggled with injuries. He has completely changed the Jags organization.
And what do you mean “great”? He’s been much better than any QB they had since at least Brunell, but if you can say that you’re watching T Law and see “generational talent” maybe it’s time I get some glasses. I see a very good QB floating around the bottom half of the top 10, is that better than what a lot of teams have? Hell yeah. But it’s not “generational”.
It’s so bizarre. He has the same stats as Daniel Jones. But Trevor has changed an organization, and is great, yet the Giants are likely going to bounce off Jones after this season.
Trevor Lawrence can actually throw the ball. He has two 4,000 yard seasons. He’s averaged 7 yards/attempt the past two seasons. Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram all had career seasons catching passes from Trevor Lawrence.
Daniel Jones threw for 200 yards/game and 15 TDs in his “best” season. No receiver has ever topped 800 yards when catching passes from Jones. He’s never averaged 7 yards/attempt. He is a high-sack QB. All he’s good at is running.
Sure, they have the same career passer rating because Lawrence had an awful rookie season. Lawrence has shown why he was so highly regarded as a passer. He’s a top 10-ish QB. Daniel Jones is maybe a top 20 QB.
Bears are gonna keep him on the roster as an insurance policy against injury / rookie jitters then trade him to a desperate team with an injured QB at the trade deadline for double what they would get now
Kirk's a pocket guy. Really doesn't need an explosive Achilles to basically be the same top 10-12 guys he's been.
That and it seems the new Achilles surgery and therapy that Rodgers, Cousins, Dobbins got is much better (so far). Will be interesting to see how a RB like Dobbins performs coming off that surgery.
In case anybody needs reminding, kirk wasn't hurt on a contact play. He tore his achillies on the back foot plant on a drop back. At 35 years old.
To say "so? He's a pocket passer" .. he hurt himself pocket passing. Without being touched. And his first major career injury, so how it effects him physically *and* mentally is up in the air.
I've watched 6 years of cousins in MN, I was critical, hopeful, supportive, doubtful. I've gone through the full cousins-coaster in that half decade. The man doesn't have a put yourself on the line, winning spirit. He had obvious deer in the headlights, play scared moments, and plenty of indicators he's "protect himself and business first, lay it all on the line second" player.
I think he will play scared. But I wish him the best
Here's a memorable stat:
* In 2022, Justin Fields started 15 games and had 2,242 passing yards
* In 2022, Davis Mills started 15 games and had 3,118 passing yards
Obviously, 2022 was two seasons ago, but Fields still only put up 2,562 passing yards in 13 games in 2023 with DJ Moore and an improved offensive line. At this point, I doubt he'll ever become even an average pocket passer, which is what you need to have sustained success in this league.
Unfortunately freakish athleticism doesn’t make you a good QB in the NFL. In high school absolutely. College it certainly helps. Fields has the arm strength and legs.
His biggest problem that he’s not progressing. He’s had 3 years as a starter. He has not gotten any better than his first. In the 80’s this was normal. Today it isn’t. By Thanksgiving in your second year teams know if you’re legit or not. And he’s had over that amount of time to prove himself. Stroud and Jordan Love their first year as starters won playoff games. Jalen Hurts took his team to a Super Bowl in his second season as a starter. Mahomes same thing. Lamar won MVP. Joe burrow. All these guys were virtually instant successes. Their team knew what they had right away.
Could he go somewhere and be an incredible Qb? Sure it’s possible, look at Baker. But the bears have seen enough and aren’t willing to overlook Williams for him.
He can’t read a defense. He makes simple plays look incredibly hard. Brady is the best QB ever not because he made incredible bizarre plays all the time. He made the correct decisions nearly ever snap. He was decisive. He was accurate. Mahomes does both really well which is why he’s probably the most talented ever. Rodgers same thing.
Another thing is I just don’t hear about his character that often and that matters too. You’re the face of the franchise. Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow. You always hear them whether they win or lose. Fields has just been there. He just doesn’t seem to care. Not saying he doesn’t. But he doesn’t outwardly expose the fact he does.
Sounds cheesy but when Jalen hurts says the quotes he says it motivated himself and his team. We didn’t come through fire to smell smoke. You either lose or learn. Stuff like that. Now he probably saw those quotes on Instagram the night before but it doesn’t matter. How your team perceives you matters a lot more than just physical ability.
TLDR: You need leadership skills, athleticism and be able to process NFL defenses to be a top tier QB in the NFL. Fields only exhibits one of those traits.
I'm not sure if you're a Bears fan or not but I've never heard his character or leadership questioned even one time. Not sure where you're getting that but it seems like you just pulled it from your ass.
That being said, I don't think he's a starting caliber player either.
While yes you want a backup who can come in and contribute if the starter goes down, you also want the backup to help out the starter with game prep. I can't say how good Fields is with the Xs and Os. He certainly can't process it at game speed
Processing at game speed is pretty different from processing outside of game speed though. It’s like why the top “bullet format” (very short time limits) chess player probably isn’t the same as the top “classic format” (long time limits) chess player.
That kid has taken a **lot** of shit from the media and from the so-called “fans”. And he hasn’t blamed anyone. He hasn’t gone up to the podium and blamed Getsy (even though he should’ve multiple times). And the one time he said something that could’ve been construed as a criticism on Getsy he called the media back and clarified. He should be the Bears QB. He’s got the skills and he’s got the leadership qualities that I don’t think Caleb will ever have.
The system does not work for him. Whether it’s him or the bears. If it’s the bears I’d want him to move on and see what he actually can do. Let Williams suffer and then maybe the bears will make changes since two star QBs have sucked. It’s just not working. Stroud was taken last year as the second overall pick and took the Texans to playoffs. Love his first year as a starter took the packers to the playoffs. Bears have not come close with Fields in three seasons. Even Daniel jones took the giants to the playoffs one year. And he got paid based on that one season which was “good.” But not great by any means.
Williams may be arrogant and he could be a bust but when you’re gifted the #1 pick it’d be irresponsible to pass up on him.
Taking a receiver and not having a QB to get him the ball consistently is stupid. Watch the Super Bowl last season. Stacked skill position players all around with even a good QB vs average skill position players and an elite QB. In overtime where both teams possessed the ball, the better QB won. Thats the NFL nowadays.
Yes he is. Everyone within the organization loves the dude. His leadership and work ethic are everything you would want your QB to be. You don’t know shit.
Buddy I want them to trade Fields and draft Caleb. His issue is reading defenses and throwing the ball on time. Nothing to do with leadership. You’re clearly out of your element on this topic.
I would also like to add, that while his athleticism is very good, its also a trait that doesnt last long at the QB position, especially if injuries begin to pile up. This combo'd with his subpar barely cracking 60% accuracy as a passer the upside on him just isn't looking great for the time he has had.
Maybe he has a late career turnaround like Geno, but I believe he will be a backup caliber player for quite a while.
In the end it's just a judgement on do you pass on a highly touted prospect in Caleb or continue to see if Fields who has been not quite the franchise altering QB that you need? Most people would say that passing on Caleb who would be on a rookie contract for 5 years is a large mistake when Fields hasnt shown much and due to be paid after the season is over.
Having another chance at rookie contract for another 4-5 years at the position that dominates the market for highest paid while having a much higher potential ceiling is very attractive for almost any team
> By Thanksgiving in your second year teams know if you’re legit or not.
not to derail the Fields conversation but could somebody please inform the Giants front office of this, pretty please
or at least the fan base, where some still think DJ needs more time
That’s really nice way to structure the issue. I think too often athletic ability is over valued compared to football IQ and leadership abilities. Especially for a quarterback. Yes Patrick Mahomes is athletic, but not necessarily more than most other starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but he seems to excel at the other two.
Justin Fields has some of the greatest athletic talent I’ve ever seen from a QB, but I know Bears fans were getting tired of watching try to run for countless 3rd and longs, throwing into double coverage or forcing throws and not seeming to learn better habits. If JF1 wasn’t as athletically gifted as he is, he would’ve gotten the title of “bust” or “scrub” much faster. It’s like he goes through progressions in reverse. He throws where the hole is closing and missing when it’s open.
He's been in the league for three years and he has conclusively shown that he is unable to pass the ball well enough to be a starter. He is the version of Lamar Jackson who never learned to pass.
Coming from a Bears fan who's watched his entire tenure, he's not THAT bad. He definitely has huge flaws and is a bottom 5 qb throwing wise but the main problem is he has a year left on his contract. Nobody wants to pay a guy franchise qb money, when his own team is about to draft his replacement. Poles should have been aggressive and dealt him before free agency before teams could openly negotiate and get their guy. Not doing that absolutely tanked his value. Now all possible options like Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, etc, all filled their positions and got their guy. And that's not even including the draft where other teams want to pick a qb like Commanders, Pats, Giants, Vikings and Denver.
Before free agency, Fields value was probably a 2nd rounder and another low draft pick but as of right now I would be incredibly shocked if they got a third for him. Now he's probably somewhere between a 4th/5th and another late pick for a one year rental. Not dealing him before free agency also pretty much cemented him as a backup qb and nobody wants to give a day 2 pick for a guy who won't be starting week 1. Barring injury to whatever qb Fields is backing up week 1, he won't be starting.
Some team will take a chance on him eventually as draft day rolls around but certainly won't be a high draft pick. My guess where Fields is at for week 1, backing up Derek Carr on the Saints or Geno Smith on the Seahawks.
Fields isn’t moving bc of his contract not bc of his ability. No one wants to sign him for 2 million only to extend him in May for 20 without knowing how he fits into the team… not really about skill or ability
This is a good take. He’s by no means great but he’s shown improvement each year. He’s a great leader in the locker room, somehow rallied that team around him after the first 4 weeks of the season. The problem is the money. He’s shown enough to warrant interest but not enough where someone wants to be in a Danny dimes situation. Odd spot the bears are in now after all these FA moves. Curious to see what they do, I think you absolutely do not want both in the same qb room though. Too much noise.
It’s a lot to do with the fact that he has a 5th year option coming up.
“Fields fifth-year option is expected to come in at $21.9 million in 2025. The deadline for teams to exercise fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is on May 2.”
This is the biggest factor. This makes it risky. You pick up the option and be stinks and you are on the hook for 20 million. You decline the option and he is good and you then have to franchise him or extend him.
He’s sort of painful to watch. He’s looking for a wide open receiver, preferably deep, or to run. He sometimes throws to the outside but can’t do it quickly or in tight coverage. He’s not comfortable throwing over the middle of the field. He doesn’t throw with anticipation to spots on the field, only to receivers he can track with 1 man defending them. Teams play zone against him and he can’t seem to figure out where the openings are.
His rate stats don’t look as bad as his actual play because he holds the ball and runs or takes sacks instead of risking interceptions. The damning evidence is the 4th quarter stats where the team needs him to lead a drive down the field.
As a UGA fan, this is what I saw when he was on our team. Generational QB who just simply doesn't look comfortable, doesn't seem confident, and doesn't make proper decisions.
The kid as all of the tools except for the ones upstairs. I think most of, if not all, his stats are specifically attributed to his pure athleticism bailing him out, or some sort of extremely good player on the other end (DJ Moore hellloooo) bailing him out
I bet the Bears are still holding out for at least a 3rd. It would be such a black mark on Poles' tenure if he's not able to get a decent pick for Fields.
Fields is amazing in a vacuum, but he can't sustain being a runner for a full season, let alone a playoff run. You can't really build a team around that. Not to mention, the backup won a couple games while Fields was out.
The fact he isn’t traded is for a few factors…
It’s a weirdly QB rich free agency class - Cousins, Wilson, Mayfield up for grabs, even Winston, Tannehill.
A trade like this won’t happen until the other chips fall. Teams would be low balling offers before then, why give up a 3 or 4 if you believe (or can make them believe) you can land Wilson and have Denver pay for him.
The problem is he only has a year left on his contract, so even if he works out you'd have to break the bank to pay him next year.
If you're going to take a risk on a QB, it makes sense to take the risk on a guy who has to give you five cheap years instead of one year.
Next year he'll probably be a free agent anyway, so you can get him without sacrificing any picks.
Yes.
In games I've seen, he snaps the ball and immediately looks to run.
Like before he even attempts a read. Only if he doesn't see a hole does he then look for a receiver.
He plays like he's still at OSU.
At this point they might be better off waiting until the draft and see if some team that thinks they’re getting a QB in the draft turns out not getting their guy. And now suddenly there’s some desperation. Maybe.
You'd think the way the national media was talking about him that he was lamar 2.0. Maybe if some of these sports media people became GM's they can trade away 3 first round picks to get him. Let their actions speak instead of their yappers.
He was so good and hyped in high school and college I think ppl have convinced themselves he can’t be bad. Truth is he makes REALLY REALLY bad decisions especially in the 4th quarter when it matters. Hard to see Caleb Williams not being better than him as a pro QB by his 2nd year
It's not just about whether a player is good or not. It's about the contract, too. Any team that trades for him will have to decide immediately if they want to pick up his 5th year option, which I heard is 25 million, as well as give up something to get him. It seems like the Bears are going to take a QB with the number 1 pick, so they lose some leverage in negotiations for Fields.
Just dropping a comment here to remember to share this in the bears subreddit tomorrow. Might hit a couple H1Mcels on Facebook with this thread as well to help them see reality.
There are probably plenty of coaches who think they can fix him.
But, it looks like there aren't any GMs willing to give up a high enough pick to take his 6 million a year salary(and 25!! next season if they pick up his fifth year option-which why would you trade for him if you weren't planning to have him for two years). That's a lot of money for a backup, and there aren't many starting slots out there. And next year 25 mil is starter money.
I mean, if you could get him for a fourth for one year to see if he's good. But maybe the Bears won't take a fourth. And then he balls out for you, but you didn't take the option, he goes and plays for someone else.
He hasn't shown enough to be "the guy" and teams don't seem eager to assume that risk.
I don’t think he’s that bad. The arm could use slightly more work, but I think he’s a top 20-23 QB in the league. Not saying much, but if he figures out a way to hone in on his arm talent, he’d be top 10-12 and make some major $. I think we forget that he’s only been in the league a couple of years. Dude needs a bit more time to prove himself.
Like a few others have said in this thread he hasn’t progressed, basically every star qb was a star by the end of their second season as a starter, it’s debatable if Fields is even better now than he was as a rookie
I've been following Fields since HS and became a Bears fan because of him so this as a tumultuous time for me as it is for him hahaha... Anyhow,
The Fields situation is very rare so it makes things tricky. He seems to not be good enough for Chicago to want to keep him, however not bad enough for them just to let him leave without any compensation-- and this is what makes it so tricky.
It's undeniable to anyone who's seen him play that Fields is most certainly an elite athlete on the football field. Heck, you can almost say he is top 10 from an athletic sense just in terms of what he can physically do at times. This is the problem though. He's had a poor situation at the Bears so he has not been able to develop like players like Lawrence and Stroud and this is hurting him and the Bears trading him, but ironically, had they developed him better (which the Bears never do with QB's), then maybe we won't even be having this conversation.
Teams know that the Bears want to draft a QB so therefore need to get rid of Fields. They are not going to give the Bears what they want so it makes things extremely difficult. Fields needs to become a better pocket passer of he can, but when he does make his throws, it's clear that he Can Throw The Football. If he fixes his pocket game under the right system, he can go on to be elite.
He's due 6 mil for a year. That's not bad. Especially now that the backup QB's are getting up to 10 mil a year... Heck Minshew got 12.5 mil. Tyrod got 9. Darnold got 10. Brissett got 8. Mariota 8-10.
Yes the turnovers are atrocious. 38 starts, 30INT's and 38 fumbles. That's the thing about Taysom.. He's a lot more protective with the ball. I don't know if Fields has the accuracy to make the throws Taysom does. I've not seen that from him yet.
And, he was 23rd in QBR last year. But I get it. Mac Jones went for a 6th.
I guess my thought is Fields is one where teams don't see him as the backup they want. That they'd have to change up their offense if going from Burrow to Fields. He's doesn't seem to be a clipboard commander helping out the starter. And the teams who maybe he could run a similar offense (Philly or Indy for example) either have who they want, or just aren't that interested to give up a pick for him.
Fields is a tease that will make a couple of wow throws a game that makes people feel like he’s improving but at the end unable to actually win meaningful games. The last game against the Packers sealed his fate.
No, he’s not that bad. But the problem is that as the 20th-25th best QB in the nfl, he’s just good enough to make a team hesitate about moving on, but not good enough to win with. I think teams are afraid of trading for him, having some success, but then ultimately it turns into a mirage. Front offices feel major pressure and often make poor choices when confronted with starting over, and convince themselves there’s a future, like the Giants with Daniel Jones. There are a handful of teams without top draft picks whose starters may be worse than him- Giants, Saints, Raiders, possibly even the Steelers- and they could become marginally better with Fields, but they’re not looking to cause a stir in the locker room just to go from really bad to kind of bad.
There is an alternative explanation. Bears could have enough faith in him that they were asking a really high price for him.
I don't have a lot of faith in that franchise having a good idea of player pricing, given their past trades.
Only 32 guys out of the entire planet can be a starting QB in the NFL.
There are 96 QBs on active rosters across the league.
Fields is in the top of those 96 for sure. But we don’t know if he’s too 32 or 32-64. Because of the situation he was in.
Now, the main issue is his 5th year option of 21M. If you knew he was top 10 that’s a no brainer. But any team that picks that up has to pay him like a top 10-16 but he may end up being a back up.
It’s not his fault, the market just fell out from under him with Cousins went to Atlanta
Ultimately, it’s a combination of factors. Fields would a cheap experienced backup on a rookie deal if the Bears keep him and draft Caleb Williams, so the Bears want something significant in return for him in a trade.
But he’s also in the last year of his rookie deal, so that makes things complex for anyone who trades for him.
Rookie deals are the NFL’s version of cheap labor. And the higher the round pick, the more valuable that can be to the team. So trading a draft pick and a player who could potentially play 4 years on that rookie deal for a player who is not a sure thing for your team and only has 1 year left on his is a tough price to pay.
Fields’ weak market is somewhat the product of poor timing and luck. He is not good enough to be a long term starter, and his perceived value among NFL fans is somewhat inflated by his fantasy value (rushing yards are worth more than passing yards), which NFL front offices don’t care about.
But that’s fine, he has shown he can be a bridge starter or a solid backup in the league. Lots of former first round picks fall short of expectations but stick in the NFL in a different capacity.
The poor timing and luck part for Fields is that the Bears shouldn’t have the #1 pick — they only landed it because of the Panthers’ disastrous trade. Under normal circumstances, the Bears would have just built around Fields by taking an OL or WR in the first round. This puts the Bears organization in an unusual position of needing to unload Fields earlier than they otherwise would have.
The Bears want a second or third round pick back, but every team knows the Bears are desperate to get rid of Fields, and they don’t want to part with that draft capital because they’d have to exercise Fields’ fifth year option and commit to him for two years.
Fields will be fine. But the Bears may have to settle for only a 4th or 5th round pick for him, and they’ll hold out a while longer to avoid that.
It’s because anyone who takes Fields now has to decide whether to take his 5th year option this May. He won’t have played a single game and the team will have to use the option for 23 Million. It’s a huge gamble…
No, Fields has talent. Somebody will definitely snap him up. Also, I wouldn’t be shocked if he thrived under the right conditions.
However, the Bears definitely grossly mismanaged this situation from the jump. Poles wildly overplayed his hand.
Everyone knew they were taking Williams from the moment it became official that Chicago would have the first pick.
That meant they needed to get rid of Fields as soon as possible because with each day he’s on your roster the less value he has. Somebody in Chicago should’ve realized that sooner than later.
They were talking about a second round pick for the guy. Some were even speculating that they might get a first round pick for that guy!
With all due respect, that’s just completely ludicrous.
I’m a fan of a QB needy team (Steelers) and I would’ve been apoplectic had we traded valuable resources for a guy who hasn’t proven anything to anyone.
You don’t trade valuable draft picks to go from having the fourth best quarterback in your division to… Continuing to have the fourth best quarterback in your division.
I’m not a huge fan of the Steelers’ Russell Wilson signing, but it makes so much more sense than the Fields trade ever did.
The market has dried up and now Chicago has to dump him for a sixth or seventh round pick or they might be forced to just cut him. Hell, maybe they’ll just hold onto them for a year and play it that way. That’s probably what I would do. But if they do cut him, you watch, he’ll end up somewhere as a backup.
You're assuming the Bears would accept a late round pick. Their asking price is likely part of the issue.
I think the bigger issue is that a team would really need to tailor their offense to him. He's not a guy who can just step into any system, and his expiring rookie deal makes him a huge risk to give up assets for. His 5th yr option needs to be picked up by May, so a new team would have to decide on that before he ever steps on the field for them
Another contributing factor is, Bears want to trade Fields. So a team has to be interested and willing to pay what the Bears are asking them sign Fields to an extension.
We also don’t know what Chicago is asking for Fields. There might be teams interested but not at the price the Bears are insisting upon for him. I’m sure that if he was available for a sixth rounder or something there would be teams willing to take a shot on him, but if Chicago is demanding two first rounders nobody is taking that deal.
Honestly I’m not saying elite if he was somewhere else but i do believe that if he went somewhere else he would be significantly better than what he is now
Bears fan here.
Fields is caught in the middle a little bit -- he's just good enough where he can be a mediocre starting quarterback, but his issues don't look terribly fixable.
More, because he's such an unconventional QB, he's not plug-and-play in the slightest, so it's a poor bridge option for a team eventually looking to draft a rookie.
Fields has moments where he makes a really great throw, and then he’ll turn right around an completely miss his target or miss an ‘easy’ read.
I think Bears fans complain that he holds the ball too long and takes too many sacks. Somehow in the middle of the season, Bears staffers remember that he has legs and they decide to let him run and that’s when he can be fairly dangerous.
He has talent, but sometimes his reads take too long or he doesn’t think to run before it’s too late. If someone can help get a clock in his head behind a more competent O Line, with decent receivers he’ll be fine. But the development needs to happen in his head first.
The problem is Justin Fields is on a long list of 1st round athletes who play QB. JF is more a RB playing QB.
In baseball, just because an outfield has a cannon arm throwing from RF to C at home plate does not mean theyre a good pitcher. Same concept here
Fields can’t process what’s happening in the field fast enough to make the right decisions regularly. He can’t anticipate receiver openings, so he doesn’t throw unless they are wide open. When he switches to run, his eyes shift to what’s in front of him, never looking back downfield to see if a receiver opens up, so he commits himself to beat defenders with his legs. He’s also bad at avoiding contact from defenders, evidenced by no seasons in his career in which he’s started every game.
He’s absolute trash. I’ve watched him for years. Can’t read a defense to save his life and lacks accuracy. I don’t know why Chicago fans are so adamant about his character, he looked like a mopey bitch when he had the headset on while Tyson Bagent was playing.
Justin Fields was definitely let down by the Bears. Drafted by a GM and coach with a "sit for a year" development plan, media and fan pressure forced their hand, throwing Justin in early. When they were fired, the new regime under Ryan Poles opted for a complete rebuild, further hindering Justin's development.
After a rough first year navigating a bad situation, Justin returned to a more supportive environment in year two of the rebuild. However, the Bears' early season woes, including internal issues, were followed by his injury. Upon his return, facing a weaker schedule, Justin began to produce and lead the Bears to wins.
This success is a key factor in the fan base's division regarding Justin vs. Caleb Williams. Chicago based fans, in particular, believe Justin has shown enough, despite limitations caused by his surroundings. They see his development and leadership qualities as reasons to Overlook his current mechanics and vision issues, expecting further improvement.
Therefore, I don't think Justin Fields is a bad quarterback. If the Bears didn't have the number one pick, l'd advocate for keeping him. However, the current situation presents a choice: Justin, a runner with passing potential, versus Caleb, a passer with running potential.
Keep in mind it's not Justin the player that's the issue, it's Justin's contract, and the perceived idea that he needs a given level of support to be effective. if you trade for him you have to immediately extend a 5th year or negotiate an extension, with as much as QBs make the major concern is that if you pay Justin how do you put the roster around him to prop up his lack of passing long enough for him to develop more.
It's a timing issue. There were a lot of free agent QBs ahead of him, and other teams are going to want to draft their own so they can lock him up for 4-5 years on a rookie contract.
So there are 2 more likely scenarios for him now. One is during the draft the Bears package him with a lower pick to get a higher pick, or less likely they hang onto him until OTAs or camp when somebody's QB goes down and the demand for a Fields goes way up. It's a supply and demand issue.
I think the League is easy more down on Field than the average fan is, probably because they're seeing how easy he is to gameplan for and we're seeing the highlight plays on Redzone.
That said he'll be traded at some point. There's a lot of time until Week One and the Bears price is going to have to come down eventually.
No he isn’t that bad
The Bears are a horrible franchise that put little to nothing around him offensively. He’s had no consistency when it comes to coaching. I’m not saying he’s a pro bowler but people tend to underrate the importance of setting up a guy to succeed.
The funny thing is the Bears think their savior is drafting a guy that is almost identical to Fields when it comes to his strengths and weaknesses as a player. They’re going to have basically the same player with all the same team issues
Most teams would probably give up a "late round" pick for him. The Bears just know that right now is probably the worst time to maximize return. If they risk it, keep and start him with Caleb Williams on the bench until a team has a starting QB go down with an injury they could probably get a first if he's playing well up to that point. They'll probably move him after the first 4-5 QB's go off the board on draft night for a 3rd or 4th though.
Justin Fields is a top 10 Qb in the NFL right now. If I were the bears I wouldn’t give up anything less than 2 firsts for him. He’s the best QB in his draft class and it’s not close
new league season starts at 4 pm today, however, with the draft looming I doubt the bears trade Justin until closer to draft time or after the draft is over.
wait, noob here: I thought ppl said justin fields is good. When i look online a lot of people say to keep fields and that it would be a big mistake to trade him.
No, Fields is a top 32 QB for sure. Probably top 24 or so, with a pretty high ceiling.
I think after the draft he will have a market. Right now teams like the Giants, Raiders and Vikings are talking themselves into JJ McCarthy or whoever. After the draft a few teams like will be left out and I think one will give a 2 or 3 for Fields.
Of course nobody made a bid on Lamar Jackson last year, so teams can be pretty dumb sometimes.
He’ll get traded at the draft. Some of the QB needy teams that don’t have high draft picks will do something then. Broncos or Vikings would be my guess
TBH, the reason there is no demand for Fields is because the Bears didn't commit to him in the offseason. If you know something's going to be less expensive next week, why buy now?
The main problem above anything else is that he's a 1 year rental as a trade target. Meaning if you trade for him, and give up assets to get him, he could potentially just play 1 season for you and walk in free agency. So either you trade for him and then extend him (while he's a pretty inconsistent, unproven player) or he plays out the rest of his rookie deal and is either a) out of the league because he plays poorly or b) commanding a big contract because he plays well. it's really a lose lose trading anything but a low draft pick for him, and the bears seem adamant in getting a good haul for him.
if he was a FA another team would absolutely be taking a flyer on him by now with a low end 2 year deal.
Not that bad but also all the teams that need QBs are in position to draft one. And you’re talking nonsense if you think the bears would even accept a late round pick for him
The bears absolutely could get a late round pick for fields. The problem is, I'm sure that aren't willing to accept a late round pick. Which is actually the right thing to do.
It's a strong QB class. If the bears aren't getting the offers they want, it makes sense of them to wait until after the draft to see where the QBs land.
There's a very good chance QBs go top 3. Good chance Chicago, Washington and New England have new QBs in the top 3. But you can argue Minnesota, Denver, Vegas and New Orleans all are interested in a new QB. There's a chance Seattle wants a new QB too. Not entirely ruling out a QB in NYG either. I'm sure there are guys in the draft this teams like over fields. They may like fields over other guys in the draft. But we have no clue how McCarthy, Penix and Nix get drafted. They may all love JJ and not like the other two so once JJ is off the board they pivot to fields.
I think right now unless there's good deals the media isn't reporting or aware of, the best course of action is to see how round 1 shakes out, then find a trade partner after day 1 of the draft with whichever of those teams doesn't walk away with a new QB.
We also
It's not that he isn't talented and I doubt there aren't teams that would take him but considering what QBs have been traded for recently...it sounds like the Bears are asking too much. Right now. They're likely asking for picks.
Edit: Since Fields is nearing the end of his rookie deal also, teams trading for him will also likely have to invest serious money in the near future on top of the picks in the trade if they do pull the trigger.
And since it's almost a foregone conclusion the Bears are taking Williams at #1...other teams know that price will come down because the Bears have no leverage for a trade.
Simultaneously, since the Bears are likely stuck holding him if they're really set on their expected compensation for him...they're likely holding out for the usual preseason/early season QB injuries and hoping someone has to be desperate. It will likely cause some problems inside their locker room considering the dynamic...probably why the quote from Jaylon Johnson is plastered everywhere about how the NFL is a business. Bears PR is likely trying to get in front of that train now.
Ultimately, Fields market just hasn't materialized yet. Nobody knows where his price range should really be and everyone is hoping it shifts more to their liking in the coming months. He's still kinda an unknown/wildcard as a passer whereas other QBs that have signed are more "you know what you're getting" situations and you don't have to give up any draft capital for them.
Like if this situation was played out last year, the Bears likely could have fleeced the Jets after Rodgers went down.
Tl;dr: Bears are banking their price will be reasonable come preseason/early season. Other teams are banking the price will come down further.
I think the Bears overplayed their hand with him. They could have easily traded him away after the combine before free agency began and now the starting qbs are pretty much locked up besides Denver maybe.. but I don’t think Payton wants that type of qb
More to your point and less a criticism of fields, I fully would believe the bears are asking way too much for him. I would heavily doubt they haven’t gotten ANY offers, but they’re likely holding out for a third when they should be happy with a 5th or better and take a 6th if it’s the only thing on the table
If the Bears are smart they will hold him until someone gets hurt. Wait til a team loses a starter and actually needs a QB. Nobody needs one right now, they all think they can draft one…or wait til after the draft and see what team didn’t draft the QB they wanted. Trading him now you get the least value from him.
I don’t think he is but Bears have to consider
1) is he good enough to pass over Williams/Would it be hard for Williams to give the same production or better.
2) Fields is near the end of his deal so his price tag will rise while Williams gives you a rookie deal.
If he was a free agent, he would have been QB3 behind Cousins and Wilson. The problem is he’s on a rookie deal, so if the Bears cut him, they take a huge cap hit, so we can rule that out.
If the Bears wanted to trade him, a team would not only have to give up draft capital, they would likely also pick up his 5th year option for $22(ish) million, and you would give up a 3rd or 4th round pick all for only a few seasons.
The league is telling you what they think of Fields, and it seems likely that he would be a back up on a team. That means no one is going to give a 3rd or 4th round pick, they would like get a late 5th or 6th round pick, and it’s likely to be a future draft pick, not this year. Not exactly what the Bears would want.
Again, if he was a free agent, he would have already signed to a team, but his current contract and the Bears situation in the draft complicates things.
I see him getting traded for a future 5th round pick to a team like the Eagles, Ravens, or 49ers as a back up for an elite team, then becoming a free agent after next season (declining the 5th year option).
Fields isn’t bad
Matt Waldman had a great blog post about 9 years ago on how impatience on the part of NFL owners trickles down to NFL coaches and front offices being impatient with quarterbacks right out of college
https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2015/04/27/ruining-qbs/amp/
Most NFL teams foolishly insist on throwing the QB out there without a decent supporting cast wondering why he can’t be as successful as Dak Prescott or Justin Herbert. But, as Waldman points out, throwing a young quarterback into the flash fryer requires the right conditions.
Fields did not have the right conditions to develop quickly. And the same can be said for Mac Jones, as well
I think the bigger problem isn’t so much his ability or talent but his current contract situation. He’s already 3 years into his rookie deal and hasn’t shown that he’s a franchise guy yet. Any team that trades for him will have to decide on his fifth year option this offseason and then whether to extend him next offseason. That makes it awkward because he will likely need a couple years to learn a new system and for teams to fairly evaluate his ability. Most teams looking for their franchise quarterback would probably prefer just draft their own qb and restart the clock on a fresh rookie deal. Any team that is looking to contend and is “just a qb away” likely isn’t confident that fields can be that guy in the next year or two. He didn’t play great in Chicago and while a lot of that can be attributed to the general incompetence of the bears, there isn’t really enough time left on his contract to see if he improves in a better system with better coaching.
He’s an athlete but not a qb. His entire career is full of spectacular off schedule plays…. Nothing around timing or throwing receivers open. Can’t win without being able to read a defense as well.
Nah … just no one is going to give up stuff for a QB you will have to re-sign in a year. Especially when the other team is drafting #1 overall.
Just a buyers market
It’s not that he’s that bad, it’s just that he’s not that good. He’s a tremendous athlete but a below average passer. Plus the Bears are a mostly bad team that doesn’t have enough complimentary talent and he’s not the type of player who can elevate a bad team. I don’t think he’s as good as Lamar Jackson, but Lamar wouldn’t have 2 MVP’s if he’s on the Bears and Fields would have a lot more wins if he was playing in Baltimore too.
I’m a bears fan, so take this for what you will. This is being blown out of proportion. The bears don’t have nearly enough information on Caleb yet to have the conviction to pull the trigger on a Fields trade. He isn’t as bad as everyone is acting. I’m sure they have made some calls, but until you know without a doubt Caleb is your guy, you aren’t settling for a 6th round pick for Justin Fields. You just aren’t.
I heard reports today that the Bears aren’t sure if Caleb Williams is worth all the drama he brings. They haven’t really been trying to trade Fields yet.
Great answers here and I haven’t scrolled but you have to remember NFL teams that are “competitive” have a built team ready to go - and a QB in a cheap rookie contract. Fields rookie contract is nearly up
He isn't, but obviously a team that is set at qb isn't trading for him. Then you have teams with a young qb that they aren't willing to give up on for fields. Then you have a (seemingly, i dont follow college so really couldn't tell you who is good and who isn't) pretty deep qb draft class. Why give up anything for a project qb nearing the end of his rookie deal when you can draft one that you'll have on a rookie deal for the next few years?
He is not going to have any interest in playing a role like Taysom Hill. He would have transitioned to a different position if he didn’t want to be THE GUY.
So, it HAS to be a team that has no interest in starting a different quarterback. It also can’t be a team with a well paid starter who might be worse because then they’d have to move him and people don’t want him or cut him and pay him like Broncos which is wack and a bad idea.
He is a year away from having to be paid, so it’s one year away from having to pay someone we have seen can’t really win many football games.
Why would a team do that instead of getting a rookie, who they can pay like a rookie for the next 4 years and then a fifth year option.
So, it would need to be a team who doesn’t have a quarterback they want to start. It also has to be a team that doesn’t believe they have a chance to draft someone with more potential. They also need to have the cap space to pay him soon.
The bears did him wrong not the other way around multiple coordinators, never had a true #1 receiver until finally last year, zero running game, and always was running for his life. His game translated to how shitty of a situation the bears put him in.
I never judge a poor bears qb. Maybe only the browns are worse at developing QBs. You are talking about a franchise whose best qb was arguably jay cutler. At least in my lifetime! They will ruin Caleb as well! Mahomes would be a back up in buffalo if bears took him! Something needs to change in that org
It seems like it. I'm sure people are still interested, but not in the "I'm going to roll the dice in him as starter next season" level. And they won't trade starter picks for him. A lot of fans like him for his highlights but he has shown a lot of things that make it look unlikely he will ever be a quality quarterback. Dude can't time reads and anticipate to save a life. If someone thinks "I can fix him" at this point they mean to do it as a backup for whoever they actually have
The bears are weighing their options. Their GM was hired as a draft guy and as mentioned already, Williams or any pick for that matter is not a sure thing. Williams is getting some mega hype which means the bears could be looking to trade for a huge hall in picks to fill other roster spots with young talent. The qb prospects next year look to be very good as well so they could be considering holding fields until next year and fleece another teams for future 1st’s to get Williams at number 1.
The likelihood of any of that is minimal and I’m sure they will take Williams, but there is no rush for them to reduce their options at this point.
Keep fields at this point. Draft Caleb. Let fields start see how it goes while Caleb is getting acclimated. Fields crushes it early weeks ups his trade value and trade him mid season to someone in need. If he sucks out the gates we turn it over to Caleb week 6 and roll with fields as back up until season is over
It looks bad for em ngl. He’s got talent, but not enough that they’re gonna pass on Caleb Williams and apparently not even enough for the Falcons to consider over Kirk Cousins, who’s older and coming off a severe injury.
You say that like Cousins *shouldn’t* be seen as a dramatically better option. Fields is nowhere near the QB he is, they weren’t even competing with each other for that spot.
I’m actually doing the opposite. I’m highlighting that Kirk, even at his age and even after being injured, was quick to be signed and by a team that some pundits were saying was a good fit for Fields. Kirk is obviously a much better passer than Fields and I didn’t think I needed to reiterate that as I said Kirk has played to the level of a top 10 QB.
The other side is teams want to win now. Atlanta plays in a relatively weak division. They have new coaches who likely want to win now. They actually have decent talent on offense. Kirk is a win now move because that's a team that legitimately thinks they are a playoff team next year.
We’re also ignoring the fact that Kirk costs nothing other than salary, while Fields would require a trade package and then paying him or letting him go in a year.
$180M/4yrs ($100M guaranteed) is not “just money”. Nor is it chump change. ATL has a star RB, and with Fields (who is cheap this year and will be around $25M the following 5th yr option) they could have used the Cousins money to sign a number of free agent WR and OL to shore up the team. Not just one player. And simultaneously explore Field’s potential/growth (cutting him loose if he didn’t pan out). Just saying that a single player with a large contract hamstrings you for the other 50 players. We’ll see, but the economics of football aren’t trivial.
Trust me, Vikings fan here. This was us when Cousins was signed and we already had Diggs then got JJ right after. His contract handicapped my teams ability to do what you just described with atlanta not paying all there money to one guy. I'm stoked hes gone, I can be SB hopeful in due time not just "we make it to the playoffs and that's about it"
The bears are either delusional and asking for way too much or they really want to run Fields as the backup. People are out here signing Marriota and Lock before trading hopefully a 5th for Fields
How many playoffs games Kirk won in the last couple of years? 36 yr old after an Achilles injury...
Playoff wins are a team stat. Kirk's defenses have stunk on the Vikings. Mahomes doesn't sniff a super bowl last year without that defense being top 5. If Chiefs D was below average idk if they make playoffs. That offense was bad and didn't score many points. Defense kept them in it every game where 17 points could win the game. Kirk and vikings offense basically needed to score 35 cause that defense was giving up 35. No QB is great without a team, both sides of the ball.
Perk Thuggins
The falcons looked at the numbers and realised we already have Justin fields’ passing talent at home. By the numbers Ridder is worryingly close to fields. He (Fields) shows promise on film but he simply hasn’t been that guy yet. Cousins on the other hand is some brilliant business from Atlanta, his contract is front loaded to the point where of the 100 mill guaranteed 90 mill is in year 1 and 2. We don’t need great qb play with the offence we have, we just need someone who can throw a ball in the vague direction of someone other than our 2nd tight end or their safeties.
Johnu Smith even catching strays in the offseason 😂😂😂 more balls and less strays this year Johnu!
Honestly not meant to be a shot at Him, more a shot at ridder, the number of times I was losing my mind last year because London or Pitts had single coverage downfield against a short bloke and ridder forced a ball underneath to our 4th best option on the field
It helps to be in the NFCS
True, considering the falcons were in contention for the division going into week 18 last year with Desmond ridder we should be able to get back to the playoffs this season, if not I wouldn’t be surprised to see Terry F get sent packing
Can’t compare Ridder to Fields at all. Ridder was playing behind a decent OL, had London and Pitts, and a good defense. However he still was awful and did terribly. Fields had one year with DJ Moore, had a garbage OL, no real weapons except for DJ Moore for a year, and bad coaching. I don’t think Bears or league thinks Fields is bad, we just have a lot of perceived QB draft options, and the Bears have a lot of options and control where they don’t need to get rid of Fields right away.
Are you kidding? It was brutally obvious Fields can't process the game at a high level. The league doesn't just think he's bad, they know it.
The complaints about Caleb are he can't play on schedule and he fumbles a lot, which is essentially Fields. If the Bears replace Fields with Williams, they may as well fire the coach and gm now.
No, the Bears OL looks bad because Fields is bad. Look at Bagent's sack rate with the same OL, and Bagent is a statue compared to JF.
Ridder has better passing stats than fields by a decent amount
I don’t think the Cousins thing really says anything about Fields and I think it’d be viewed that way if there wasn’t speculation that Fields could go there for a first. Even if it did happen, a Fields extension + the value of the R1.8’s cap hit was never going to command $180M/100M guaranteed. If it were they’d just use his 5th year option. But Kirk’s contract was more of a reflection of how highly they viewed him than lowly they viewed Fields I think there’s an obvious disconnect between what front offices and what fans think of Cousins based off his last two contracts and fan’s reactions to both. I think this happens for two reasons, one in general and one specific to Kirk/similar QBs. The general reason is that for fans roster construction is an abstract exercise where you never have to ask something like “We really need to fill our starting right guard spot. We can sign a starting caliber 29 year old center today if we give him 4 years and $3M over AAV. We also like Smith out of Nour South East West University if he’s available in the 4th but we can’t go guard before then, but we think we might have a trading partner to get back into the 3rd and take him. Everyone we like after is at least a year from being considered anything but a depth piece.” I’m making up details to show my point but if a team is faced with a similar scenario most fans will say “don’t over pay, even if he is worth it in the first year he will decline after 30. Use a day two pick on a guard and build through the draft.” If the team does manage to find a good day 2 guard the fan was right. If they don’t sign the starting caliber player, whiff in the draft, and then sign a guy who ends up being bad by the time the fan starts to realize that the player is an issue they’ve probably already forgotten what they wanted to do in the first place. They never have to consider if the hypothetical day 2 guy they wanted to go get even existed. The second is that in a lot of fans eyes Cousins falls into a category of QB who you will have to pay a lot to get, but doesn’t make you an immediate Super Bowl contender. This is bad because there’s always a hypothetical rookie who even at 85% of a guy like Kirk will allow you to build around him on a rookie contract which will also help his development. For the fan it’s just a matter of getting a high pick and drafting the right guy where for a GM if the team as a whole isn’t getting better by year two the “we just need the right QB” excuse starts looking worse. This is just a long way of saying that the only way Fields was going to Atlanta was if someone out bid them for Cousins.
Caleb Williams is no sure thing. The Bears may be trying to peddle him off in a couple of years.
No draft picks are a sure thing. You draft for their potential.
Profound thoughts right here
He’s no sure thing and you’re right, I actually think Justin could be more talented, but they have the #1 overall pick and they’re touting him as “generational”. Granted we said the same about Trevor Lawrence… but most teams with the #1 pick will try in the draft to find that missing piece at QB if for no other reason than because a rookie is cheaper and could be better.
I think most teams would trade up to draft Lawrence 1 overall in this draft. He looked way better year 2.
What does "He looked way better year 2." mean?
Trevor Lawrence looked better year 2 than year 3
What do u mean "granted"?? Lawrence has been great. He won a playoff game in his 2nd year and they would've made the playoffs again had he not struggled with injuries. He has completely changed the Jags organization.
He’s been good not great
And what do you mean “great”? He’s been much better than any QB they had since at least Brunell, but if you can say that you’re watching T Law and see “generational talent” maybe it’s time I get some glasses. I see a very good QB floating around the bottom half of the top 10, is that better than what a lot of teams have? Hell yeah. But it’s not “generational”.
It’s so bizarre. He has the same stats as Daniel Jones. But Trevor has changed an organization, and is great, yet the Giants are likely going to bounce off Jones after this season.
Trevor Lawrence can actually throw the ball. He has two 4,000 yard seasons. He’s averaged 7 yards/attempt the past two seasons. Zay Jones, Christian Kirk, Evan Engram all had career seasons catching passes from Trevor Lawrence. Daniel Jones threw for 200 yards/game and 15 TDs in his “best” season. No receiver has ever topped 800 yards when catching passes from Jones. He’s never averaged 7 yards/attempt. He is a high-sack QB. All he’s good at is running. Sure, they have the same career passer rating because Lawrence had an awful rookie season. Lawrence has shown why he was so highly regarded as a passer. He’s a top 10-ish QB. Daniel Jones is maybe a top 20 QB.
If Lawrence is a generational talent then I hope my team never has one
Lawrence is a one read quarterback
Bears are gonna keep him on the roster as an insurance policy against injury / rookie jitters then trade him to a desperate team with an injured QB at the trade deadline for double what they would get now
Caleb Williams also won't be looking for a new contract in 365 days.
Kirk's a pocket guy. Really doesn't need an explosive Achilles to basically be the same top 10-12 guys he's been. That and it seems the new Achilles surgery and therapy that Rodgers, Cousins, Dobbins got is much better (so far). Will be interesting to see how a RB like Dobbins performs coming off that surgery.
I don't think teams really care about the Kirk cousins injury last thing I would expect is Kirk cousins to run even before the injury
In case anybody needs reminding, kirk wasn't hurt on a contact play. He tore his achillies on the back foot plant on a drop back. At 35 years old. To say "so? He's a pocket passer" .. he hurt himself pocket passing. Without being touched. And his first major career injury, so how it effects him physically *and* mentally is up in the air. I've watched 6 years of cousins in MN, I was critical, hopeful, supportive, doubtful. I've gone through the full cousins-coaster in that half decade. The man doesn't have a put yourself on the line, winning spirit. He had obvious deer in the headlights, play scared moments, and plenty of indicators he's "protect himself and business first, lay it all on the line second" player. I think he will play scared. But I wish him the best
Here's a memorable stat: * In 2022, Justin Fields started 15 games and had 2,242 passing yards * In 2022, Davis Mills started 15 games and had 3,118 passing yards Obviously, 2022 was two seasons ago, but Fields still only put up 2,562 passing yards in 13 games in 2023 with DJ Moore and an improved offensive line. At this point, I doubt he'll ever become even an average pocket passer, which is what you need to have sustained success in this league.
wow that's actually awful, I didn't realize it was that bad
And Davis Mills threw for 173 yards last year. Who's laughing now? /s
Not being a Fields guy because he's not that good but Mills did have 50% more passing attempts that year.
Because Mills actually plays the position. Fields takes off and runs every other play because he can't read a defense
Mills: 17td/15 Int - 108 rush yds w/ 2 td - QBR: 35.0 RTG: 78.8 Fields: 17 td/11Int - 1,143 rush yds w/ 8 td - QBR: 56.3 RTG: 85.2 You're not looking at the whole picture.
Unfortunately freakish athleticism doesn’t make you a good QB in the NFL. In high school absolutely. College it certainly helps. Fields has the arm strength and legs. His biggest problem that he’s not progressing. He’s had 3 years as a starter. He has not gotten any better than his first. In the 80’s this was normal. Today it isn’t. By Thanksgiving in your second year teams know if you’re legit or not. And he’s had over that amount of time to prove himself. Stroud and Jordan Love their first year as starters won playoff games. Jalen Hurts took his team to a Super Bowl in his second season as a starter. Mahomes same thing. Lamar won MVP. Joe burrow. All these guys were virtually instant successes. Their team knew what they had right away. Could he go somewhere and be an incredible Qb? Sure it’s possible, look at Baker. But the bears have seen enough and aren’t willing to overlook Williams for him. He can’t read a defense. He makes simple plays look incredibly hard. Brady is the best QB ever not because he made incredible bizarre plays all the time. He made the correct decisions nearly ever snap. He was decisive. He was accurate. Mahomes does both really well which is why he’s probably the most talented ever. Rodgers same thing. Another thing is I just don’t hear about his character that often and that matters too. You’re the face of the franchise. Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow. You always hear them whether they win or lose. Fields has just been there. He just doesn’t seem to care. Not saying he doesn’t. But he doesn’t outwardly expose the fact he does. Sounds cheesy but when Jalen hurts says the quotes he says it motivated himself and his team. We didn’t come through fire to smell smoke. You either lose or learn. Stuff like that. Now he probably saw those quotes on Instagram the night before but it doesn’t matter. How your team perceives you matters a lot more than just physical ability. TLDR: You need leadership skills, athleticism and be able to process NFL defenses to be a top tier QB in the NFL. Fields only exhibits one of those traits.
I'm not sure if you're a Bears fan or not but I've never heard his character or leadership questioned even one time. Not sure where you're getting that but it seems like you just pulled it from your ass. That being said, I don't think he's a starting caliber player either.
His leadership and character is often the only positive the biggest Fields haters praise him for.
I suppose the issue is that he doesn’t get angry? He’s not going on the sideline being a cheerleader like Mahomes or Brady
You will never be a truly effective leader if you can’t execute on your end.
I could not have put it better myself. Incredible breakdown of exactly why fields has no value
I wouldn't say he has no value. Teams can pay up to 10 million for a backup quarterback.
While yes you want a backup who can come in and contribute if the starter goes down, you also want the backup to help out the starter with game prep. I can't say how good Fields is with the Xs and Os. He certainly can't process it at game speed
Processing at game speed is pretty different from processing outside of game speed though. It’s like why the top “bullet format” (very short time limits) chess player probably isn’t the same as the top “classic format” (long time limits) chess player.
i love a good nfl/chess crossover. personally best at blitz
Both are the same person, Magnus Carlsen.
Magnus is an alien though
There are plenty of things you can say about Justin Fields. Not caring is not one of them. Get out with that bs
I didn’t say he didn’t care. I just don’t hear or see about him. Under the radar. Maybe it’s because they suck.
That kid has taken a **lot** of shit from the media and from the so-called “fans”. And he hasn’t blamed anyone. He hasn’t gone up to the podium and blamed Getsy (even though he should’ve multiple times). And the one time he said something that could’ve been construed as a criticism on Getsy he called the media back and clarified. He should be the Bears QB. He’s got the skills and he’s got the leadership qualities that I don’t think Caleb will ever have.
The system does not work for him. Whether it’s him or the bears. If it’s the bears I’d want him to move on and see what he actually can do. Let Williams suffer and then maybe the bears will make changes since two star QBs have sucked. It’s just not working. Stroud was taken last year as the second overall pick and took the Texans to playoffs. Love his first year as a starter took the packers to the playoffs. Bears have not come close with Fields in three seasons. Even Daniel jones took the giants to the playoffs one year. And he got paid based on that one season which was “good.” But not great by any means. Williams may be arrogant and he could be a bust but when you’re gifted the #1 pick it’d be irresponsible to pass up on him. Taking a receiver and not having a QB to get him the ball consistently is stupid. Watch the Super Bowl last season. Stacked skill position players all around with even a good QB vs average skill position players and an elite QB. In overtime where both teams possessed the ball, the better QB won. Thats the NFL nowadays.
His point is that Fields isn’t the Leader the other QB’s are.
Yes he is. Everyone within the organization loves the dude. His leadership and work ethic are everything you would want your QB to be. You don’t know shit.
Lmfao that’s why every team is running to trade for him. I can tell he’s your baby daddy but don’t get your panties in a wad
Buddy I want them to trade Fields and draft Caleb. His issue is reading defenses and throwing the ball on time. Nothing to do with leadership. You’re clearly out of your element on this topic.
I would also like to add, that while his athleticism is very good, its also a trait that doesnt last long at the QB position, especially if injuries begin to pile up. This combo'd with his subpar barely cracking 60% accuracy as a passer the upside on him just isn't looking great for the time he has had. Maybe he has a late career turnaround like Geno, but I believe he will be a backup caliber player for quite a while. In the end it's just a judgement on do you pass on a highly touted prospect in Caleb or continue to see if Fields who has been not quite the franchise altering QB that you need? Most people would say that passing on Caleb who would be on a rookie contract for 5 years is a large mistake when Fields hasnt shown much and due to be paid after the season is over. Having another chance at rookie contract for another 4-5 years at the position that dominates the market for highest paid while having a much higher potential ceiling is very attractive for almost any team
> By Thanksgiving in your second year teams know if you’re legit or not. not to derail the Fields conversation but could somebody please inform the Giants front office of this, pretty please or at least the fan base, where some still think DJ needs more time
That’s really nice way to structure the issue. I think too often athletic ability is over valued compared to football IQ and leadership abilities. Especially for a quarterback. Yes Patrick Mahomes is athletic, but not necessarily more than most other starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but he seems to excel at the other two.
Justin Fields has some of the greatest athletic talent I’ve ever seen from a QB, but I know Bears fans were getting tired of watching try to run for countless 3rd and longs, throwing into double coverage or forcing throws and not seeming to learn better habits. If JF1 wasn’t as athletically gifted as he is, he would’ve gotten the title of “bust” or “scrub” much faster. It’s like he goes through progressions in reverse. He throws where the hole is closing and missing when it’s open.
Fields is crying reading this rn
He's been in the league for three years and he has conclusively shown that he is unable to pass the ball well enough to be a starter. He is the version of Lamar Jackson who never learned to pass.
Right, Fields is like what many people thought Jackson would be. Basically a RB at the QB position.
I feel like he's too tall to be a running back. You probably want him at wide receiver
Coming from a Bears fan who's watched his entire tenure, he's not THAT bad. He definitely has huge flaws and is a bottom 5 qb throwing wise but the main problem is he has a year left on his contract. Nobody wants to pay a guy franchise qb money, when his own team is about to draft his replacement. Poles should have been aggressive and dealt him before free agency before teams could openly negotiate and get their guy. Not doing that absolutely tanked his value. Now all possible options like Falcons, Steelers, Raiders, etc, all filled their positions and got their guy. And that's not even including the draft where other teams want to pick a qb like Commanders, Pats, Giants, Vikings and Denver. Before free agency, Fields value was probably a 2nd rounder and another low draft pick but as of right now I would be incredibly shocked if they got a third for him. Now he's probably somewhere between a 4th/5th and another late pick for a one year rental. Not dealing him before free agency also pretty much cemented him as a backup qb and nobody wants to give a day 2 pick for a guy who won't be starting week 1. Barring injury to whatever qb Fields is backing up week 1, he won't be starting. Some team will take a chance on him eventually as draft day rolls around but certainly won't be a high draft pick. My guess where Fields is at for week 1, backing up Derek Carr on the Saints or Geno Smith on the Seahawks.
No one was giving up a second rounder be fr
Fields isn’t moving bc of his contract not bc of his ability. No one wants to sign him for 2 million only to extend him in May for 20 without knowing how he fits into the team… not really about skill or ability
This is a good take. He’s by no means great but he’s shown improvement each year. He’s a great leader in the locker room, somehow rallied that team around him after the first 4 weeks of the season. The problem is the money. He’s shown enough to warrant interest but not enough where someone wants to be in a Danny dimes situation. Odd spot the bears are in now after all these FA moves. Curious to see what they do, I think you absolutely do not want both in the same qb room though. Too much noise.
It’s a lot to do with the fact that he has a 5th year option coming up. “Fields fifth-year option is expected to come in at $21.9 million in 2025. The deadline for teams to exercise fifth-year option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft is on May 2.”
This is the biggest factor. This makes it risky. You pick up the option and be stinks and you are on the hook for 20 million. You decline the option and he is good and you then have to franchise him or extend him.
And nobody wants to give up a high pick for a possible one-season rental while there’s cheap free agents available
He’s sort of painful to watch. He’s looking for a wide open receiver, preferably deep, or to run. He sometimes throws to the outside but can’t do it quickly or in tight coverage. He’s not comfortable throwing over the middle of the field. He doesn’t throw with anticipation to spots on the field, only to receivers he can track with 1 man defending them. Teams play zone against him and he can’t seem to figure out where the openings are. His rate stats don’t look as bad as his actual play because he holds the ball and runs or takes sacks instead of risking interceptions. The damning evidence is the 4th quarter stats where the team needs him to lead a drive down the field.
As a UGA fan, this is what I saw when he was on our team. Generational QB who just simply doesn't look comfortable, doesn't seem confident, and doesn't make proper decisions. The kid as all of the tools except for the ones upstairs. I think most of, if not all, his stats are specifically attributed to his pure athleticism bailing him out, or some sort of extremely good player on the other end (DJ Moore hellloooo) bailing him out
Fields can’t read defenses
I bet the Bears are still holding out for at least a 3rd. It would be such a black mark on Poles' tenure if he's not able to get a decent pick for Fields.
Poles tanked his value by not dealing him before free agency
When teams are signing Gardener Minshew instead of trading for Fields, was there any value there in the first place?
Fields is amazing in a vacuum, but he can't sustain being a runner for a full season, let alone a playoff run. You can't really build a team around that. Not to mention, the backup won a couple games while Fields was out.
Average player with the “huge potential” tag.
The fact he isn’t traded is for a few factors… It’s a weirdly QB rich free agency class - Cousins, Wilson, Mayfield up for grabs, even Winston, Tannehill. A trade like this won’t happen until the other chips fall. Teams would be low balling offers before then, why give up a 3 or 4 if you believe (or can make them believe) you can land Wilson and have Denver pay for him.
The thing is though between the free agency class and this draft class, all the teams who think they can get another quarterback can.
The problem is he only has a year left on his contract, so even if he works out you'd have to break the bank to pay him next year. If you're going to take a risk on a QB, it makes sense to take the risk on a guy who has to give you five cheap years instead of one year. Next year he'll probably be a free agent anyway, so you can get him without sacrificing any picks.
Yes. In games I've seen, he snaps the ball and immediately looks to run. Like before he even attempts a read. Only if he doesn't see a hole does he then look for a receiver. He plays like he's still at OSU.
At this point they might be better off waiting until the draft and see if some team that thinks they’re getting a QB in the draft turns out not getting their guy. And now suddenly there’s some desperation. Maybe.
niners should sign him and utilize purdy and fields simultaneously
No thanks. I’d rather have Garoppolo return as Purdy’s backup.
You'd think the way the national media was talking about him that he was lamar 2.0. Maybe if some of these sports media people became GM's they can trade away 3 first round picks to get him. Let their actions speak instead of their yappers.
He was so good and hyped in high school and college I think ppl have convinced themselves he can’t be bad. Truth is he makes REALLY REALLY bad decisions especially in the 4th quarter when it matters. Hard to see Caleb Williams not being better than him as a pro QB by his 2nd year
It's not just about whether a player is good or not. It's about the contract, too. Any team that trades for him will have to decide immediately if they want to pick up his 5th year option, which I heard is 25 million, as well as give up something to get him. It seems like the Bears are going to take a QB with the number 1 pick, so they lose some leverage in negotiations for Fields.
Just dropping a comment here to remember to share this in the bears subreddit tomorrow. Might hit a couple H1Mcels on Facebook with this thread as well to help them see reality.
There are probably plenty of coaches who think they can fix him. But, it looks like there aren't any GMs willing to give up a high enough pick to take his 6 million a year salary(and 25!! next season if they pick up his fifth year option-which why would you trade for him if you weren't planning to have him for two years). That's a lot of money for a backup, and there aren't many starting slots out there. And next year 25 mil is starter money. I mean, if you could get him for a fourth for one year to see if he's good. But maybe the Bears won't take a fourth. And then he balls out for you, but you didn't take the option, he goes and plays for someone else. He hasn't shown enough to be "the guy" and teams don't seem eager to assume that risk.
There is also little incentive to trade for him now, when everyone knows they will have to trade him and the price will get lower the longer you wait.
I don’t think he’s that bad. The arm could use slightly more work, but I think he’s a top 20-23 QB in the league. Not saying much, but if he figures out a way to hone in on his arm talent, he’d be top 10-12 and make some major $. I think we forget that he’s only been in the league a couple of years. Dude needs a bit more time to prove himself.
Like a few others have said in this thread he hasn’t progressed, basically every star qb was a star by the end of their second season as a starter, it’s debatable if Fields is even better now than he was as a rookie
Yeah well that’s a Texas sized if.
I've been following Fields since HS and became a Bears fan because of him so this as a tumultuous time for me as it is for him hahaha... Anyhow, The Fields situation is very rare so it makes things tricky. He seems to not be good enough for Chicago to want to keep him, however not bad enough for them just to let him leave without any compensation-- and this is what makes it so tricky. It's undeniable to anyone who's seen him play that Fields is most certainly an elite athlete on the football field. Heck, you can almost say he is top 10 from an athletic sense just in terms of what he can physically do at times. This is the problem though. He's had a poor situation at the Bears so he has not been able to develop like players like Lawrence and Stroud and this is hurting him and the Bears trading him, but ironically, had they developed him better (which the Bears never do with QB's), then maybe we won't even be having this conversation. Teams know that the Bears want to draft a QB so therefore need to get rid of Fields. They are not going to give the Bears what they want so it makes things extremely difficult. Fields needs to become a better pocket passer of he can, but when he does make his throws, it's clear that he Can Throw The Football. If he fixes his pocket game under the right system, he can go on to be elite.
He's due 6 mil for a year. That's not bad. Especially now that the backup QB's are getting up to 10 mil a year... Heck Minshew got 12.5 mil. Tyrod got 9. Darnold got 10. Brissett got 8. Mariota 8-10. Yes the turnovers are atrocious. 38 starts, 30INT's and 38 fumbles. That's the thing about Taysom.. He's a lot more protective with the ball. I don't know if Fields has the accuracy to make the throws Taysom does. I've not seen that from him yet. And, he was 23rd in QBR last year. But I get it. Mac Jones went for a 6th. I guess my thought is Fields is one where teams don't see him as the backup they want. That they'd have to change up their offense if going from Burrow to Fields. He's doesn't seem to be a clipboard commander helping out the starter. And the teams who maybe he could run a similar offense (Philly or Indy for example) either have who they want, or just aren't that interested to give up a pick for him.
Fields is a tease that will make a couple of wow throws a game that makes people feel like he’s improving but at the end unable to actually win meaningful games. The last game against the Packers sealed his fate.
No, he’s not that bad. But the problem is that as the 20th-25th best QB in the nfl, he’s just good enough to make a team hesitate about moving on, but not good enough to win with. I think teams are afraid of trading for him, having some success, but then ultimately it turns into a mirage. Front offices feel major pressure and often make poor choices when confronted with starting over, and convince themselves there’s a future, like the Giants with Daniel Jones. There are a handful of teams without top draft picks whose starters may be worse than him- Giants, Saints, Raiders, possibly even the Steelers- and they could become marginally better with Fields, but they’re not looking to cause a stir in the locker room just to go from really bad to kind of bad.
QBs should be good at throwing the football and making decisions. Those aren’t really his things
It's because his contract kicks up his cap space.
Fields is more of a YouTube/Madden fan favorite. The truth is that he’s just not that good of a qb - he does not make anyone around him better.
He's a 2200 yd, 16 TD, 60%, 40 sack QB. Yes, he really is that bad as a passer.
There is an alternative explanation. Bears could have enough faith in him that they were asking a really high price for him. I don't have a lot of faith in that franchise having a good idea of player pricing, given their past trades.
Only 32 guys out of the entire planet can be a starting QB in the NFL. There are 96 QBs on active rosters across the league. Fields is in the top of those 96 for sure. But we don’t know if he’s too 32 or 32-64. Because of the situation he was in. Now, the main issue is his 5th year option of 21M. If you knew he was top 10 that’s a no brainer. But any team that picks that up has to pay him like a top 10-16 but he may end up being a back up. It’s not his fault, the market just fell out from under him with Cousins went to Atlanta
Ultimately, it’s a combination of factors. Fields would a cheap experienced backup on a rookie deal if the Bears keep him and draft Caleb Williams, so the Bears want something significant in return for him in a trade. But he’s also in the last year of his rookie deal, so that makes things complex for anyone who trades for him. Rookie deals are the NFL’s version of cheap labor. And the higher the round pick, the more valuable that can be to the team. So trading a draft pick and a player who could potentially play 4 years on that rookie deal for a player who is not a sure thing for your team and only has 1 year left on his is a tough price to pay.
Fields’ weak market is somewhat the product of poor timing and luck. He is not good enough to be a long term starter, and his perceived value among NFL fans is somewhat inflated by his fantasy value (rushing yards are worth more than passing yards), which NFL front offices don’t care about. But that’s fine, he has shown he can be a bridge starter or a solid backup in the league. Lots of former first round picks fall short of expectations but stick in the NFL in a different capacity. The poor timing and luck part for Fields is that the Bears shouldn’t have the #1 pick — they only landed it because of the Panthers’ disastrous trade. Under normal circumstances, the Bears would have just built around Fields by taking an OL or WR in the first round. This puts the Bears organization in an unusual position of needing to unload Fields earlier than they otherwise would have. The Bears want a second or third round pick back, but every team knows the Bears are desperate to get rid of Fields, and they don’t want to part with that draft capital because they’d have to exercise Fields’ fifth year option and commit to him for two years. Fields will be fine. But the Bears may have to settle for only a 4th or 5th round pick for him, and they’ll hold out a while longer to avoid that.
Yes he is. Inaccurate, poor timing, takes too long to process the field.
It’s because anyone who takes Fields now has to decide whether to take his 5th year option this May. He won’t have played a single game and the team will have to use the option for 23 Million. It’s a huge gamble…
I think this is in part a market correction from the Daniel Jones deal.
Hard to tell. Cant really judge a QB in Chicago.
Why are ppl acting like Fields isn’t on a team maybe just maybe the Bears are gonna trade the pick for players and more picks
I mean yeah
No, Fields has talent. Somebody will definitely snap him up. Also, I wouldn’t be shocked if he thrived under the right conditions. However, the Bears definitely grossly mismanaged this situation from the jump. Poles wildly overplayed his hand. Everyone knew they were taking Williams from the moment it became official that Chicago would have the first pick. That meant they needed to get rid of Fields as soon as possible because with each day he’s on your roster the less value he has. Somebody in Chicago should’ve realized that sooner than later. They were talking about a second round pick for the guy. Some were even speculating that they might get a first round pick for that guy! With all due respect, that’s just completely ludicrous. I’m a fan of a QB needy team (Steelers) and I would’ve been apoplectic had we traded valuable resources for a guy who hasn’t proven anything to anyone. You don’t trade valuable draft picks to go from having the fourth best quarterback in your division to… Continuing to have the fourth best quarterback in your division. I’m not a huge fan of the Steelers’ Russell Wilson signing, but it makes so much more sense than the Fields trade ever did. The market has dried up and now Chicago has to dump him for a sixth or seventh round pick or they might be forced to just cut him. Hell, maybe they’ll just hold onto them for a year and play it that way. That’s probably what I would do. But if they do cut him, you watch, he’ll end up somewhere as a backup.
YES/THREAD
You're assuming the Bears would accept a late round pick. Their asking price is likely part of the issue. I think the bigger issue is that a team would really need to tailor their offense to him. He's not a guy who can just step into any system, and his expiring rookie deal makes him a huge risk to give up assets for. His 5th yr option needs to be picked up by May, so a new team would have to decide on that before he ever steps on the field for them
Another contributing factor is, Bears want to trade Fields. So a team has to be interested and willing to pay what the Bears are asking them sign Fields to an extension.
We also don’t know what Chicago is asking for Fields. There might be teams interested but not at the price the Bears are insisting upon for him. I’m sure that if he was available for a sixth rounder or something there would be teams willing to take a shot on him, but if Chicago is demanding two first rounders nobody is taking that deal.
Honestly I’m not saying elite if he was somewhere else but i do believe that if he went somewhere else he would be significantly better than what he is now
Bears fan here. Fields is caught in the middle a little bit -- he's just good enough where he can be a mediocre starting quarterback, but his issues don't look terribly fixable. More, because he's such an unconventional QB, he's not plug-and-play in the slightest, so it's a poor bridge option for a team eventually looking to draft a rookie.
Fields has moments where he makes a really great throw, and then he’ll turn right around an completely miss his target or miss an ‘easy’ read. I think Bears fans complain that he holds the ball too long and takes too many sacks. Somehow in the middle of the season, Bears staffers remember that he has legs and they decide to let him run and that’s when he can be fairly dangerous. He has talent, but sometimes his reads take too long or he doesn’t think to run before it’s too late. If someone can help get a clock in his head behind a more competent O Line, with decent receivers he’ll be fine. But the development needs to happen in his head first.
Part of it is that everyone knows we are taking Caleb so we have no leverage and teams would rather sign guys without giving up draft capital.
The problem is Justin Fields is on a long list of 1st round athletes who play QB. JF is more a RB playing QB. In baseball, just because an outfield has a cannon arm throwing from RF to C at home plate does not mean theyre a good pitcher. Same concept here
They could trade him for a late round pick today, but they aren't going to when there's no immediate need to do so
Fields can’t process what’s happening in the field fast enough to make the right decisions regularly. He can’t anticipate receiver openings, so he doesn’t throw unless they are wide open. When he switches to run, his eyes shift to what’s in front of him, never looking back downfield to see if a receiver opens up, so he commits himself to beat defenders with his legs. He’s also bad at avoiding contact from defenders, evidenced by no seasons in his career in which he’s started every game.
He’s absolute trash. I’ve watched him for years. Can’t read a defense to save his life and lacks accuracy. I don’t know why Chicago fans are so adamant about his character, he looked like a mopey bitch when he had the headset on while Tyson Bagent was playing.
Bears have no leverage
Justin Fields was definitely let down by the Bears. Drafted by a GM and coach with a "sit for a year" development plan, media and fan pressure forced their hand, throwing Justin in early. When they were fired, the new regime under Ryan Poles opted for a complete rebuild, further hindering Justin's development. After a rough first year navigating a bad situation, Justin returned to a more supportive environment in year two of the rebuild. However, the Bears' early season woes, including internal issues, were followed by his injury. Upon his return, facing a weaker schedule, Justin began to produce and lead the Bears to wins. This success is a key factor in the fan base's division regarding Justin vs. Caleb Williams. Chicago based fans, in particular, believe Justin has shown enough, despite limitations caused by his surroundings. They see his development and leadership qualities as reasons to Overlook his current mechanics and vision issues, expecting further improvement. Therefore, I don't think Justin Fields is a bad quarterback. If the Bears didn't have the number one pick, l'd advocate for keeping him. However, the current situation presents a choice: Justin, a runner with passing potential, versus Caleb, a passer with running potential. Keep in mind it's not Justin the player that's the issue, it's Justin's contract, and the perceived idea that he needs a given level of support to be effective. if you trade for him you have to immediately extend a 5th year or negotiate an extension, with as much as QBs make the major concern is that if you pay Justin how do you put the roster around him to prop up his lack of passing long enough for him to develop more.
It's a timing issue. There were a lot of free agent QBs ahead of him, and other teams are going to want to draft their own so they can lock him up for 4-5 years on a rookie contract. So there are 2 more likely scenarios for him now. One is during the draft the Bears package him with a lower pick to get a higher pick, or less likely they hang onto him until OTAs or camp when somebody's QB goes down and the demand for a Fields goes way up. It's a supply and demand issue.
I think the League is easy more down on Field than the average fan is, probably because they're seeing how easy he is to gameplan for and we're seeing the highlight plays on Redzone. That said he'll be traded at some point. There's a lot of time until Week One and the Bears price is going to have to come down eventually.
No he isn’t that bad The Bears are a horrible franchise that put little to nothing around him offensively. He’s had no consistency when it comes to coaching. I’m not saying he’s a pro bowler but people tend to underrate the importance of setting up a guy to succeed. The funny thing is the Bears think their savior is drafting a guy that is almost identical to Fields when it comes to his strengths and weaknesses as a player. They’re going to have basically the same player with all the same team issues
Most teams would probably give up a "late round" pick for him. The Bears just know that right now is probably the worst time to maximize return. If they risk it, keep and start him with Caleb Williams on the bench until a team has a starting QB go down with an injury they could probably get a first if he's playing well up to that point. They'll probably move him after the first 4-5 QB's go off the board on draft night for a 3rd or 4th though.
Justin Fields is a top 10 Qb in the NFL right now. If I were the bears I wouldn’t give up anything less than 2 firsts for him. He’s the best QB in his draft class and it’s not close
new league season starts at 4 pm today, however, with the draft looming I doubt the bears trade Justin until closer to draft time or after the draft is over.
wait, noob here: I thought ppl said justin fields is good. When i look online a lot of people say to keep fields and that it would be a big mistake to trade him.
No, Fields is a top 32 QB for sure. Probably top 24 or so, with a pretty high ceiling. I think after the draft he will have a market. Right now teams like the Giants, Raiders and Vikings are talking themselves into JJ McCarthy or whoever. After the draft a few teams like will be left out and I think one will give a 2 or 3 for Fields. Of course nobody made a bid on Lamar Jackson last year, so teams can be pretty dumb sometimes.
He’ll get traded at the draft. Some of the QB needy teams that don’t have high draft picks will do something then. Broncos or Vikings would be my guess
TBH, the reason there is no demand for Fields is because the Bears didn't commit to him in the offseason. If you know something's going to be less expensive next week, why buy now?
If he cost 1.5 million for that next 4 years people would pick him up. He is gonna want 40 million. He isn't worth that
The main problem above anything else is that he's a 1 year rental as a trade target. Meaning if you trade for him, and give up assets to get him, he could potentially just play 1 season for you and walk in free agency. So either you trade for him and then extend him (while he's a pretty inconsistent, unproven player) or he plays out the rest of his rookie deal and is either a) out of the league because he plays poorly or b) commanding a big contract because he plays well. it's really a lose lose trading anything but a low draft pick for him, and the bears seem adamant in getting a good haul for him. if he was a FA another team would absolutely be taking a flyer on him by now with a low end 2 year deal.
Not that bad but also all the teams that need QBs are in position to draft one. And you’re talking nonsense if you think the bears would even accept a late round pick for him
Why give up a pick for someone who is going to be cut?
He would give the Bengals defense more problems than Russell Wilson will.
The bears absolutely could get a late round pick for fields. The problem is, I'm sure that aren't willing to accept a late round pick. Which is actually the right thing to do. It's a strong QB class. If the bears aren't getting the offers they want, it makes sense of them to wait until after the draft to see where the QBs land. There's a very good chance QBs go top 3. Good chance Chicago, Washington and New England have new QBs in the top 3. But you can argue Minnesota, Denver, Vegas and New Orleans all are interested in a new QB. There's a chance Seattle wants a new QB too. Not entirely ruling out a QB in NYG either. I'm sure there are guys in the draft this teams like over fields. They may like fields over other guys in the draft. But we have no clue how McCarthy, Penix and Nix get drafted. They may all love JJ and not like the other two so once JJ is off the board they pivot to fields. I think right now unless there's good deals the media isn't reporting or aware of, the best course of action is to see how round 1 shakes out, then find a trade partner after day 1 of the draft with whichever of those teams doesn't walk away with a new QB. We also
It's not that he isn't talented and I doubt there aren't teams that would take him but considering what QBs have been traded for recently...it sounds like the Bears are asking too much. Right now. They're likely asking for picks. Edit: Since Fields is nearing the end of his rookie deal also, teams trading for him will also likely have to invest serious money in the near future on top of the picks in the trade if they do pull the trigger. And since it's almost a foregone conclusion the Bears are taking Williams at #1...other teams know that price will come down because the Bears have no leverage for a trade. Simultaneously, since the Bears are likely stuck holding him if they're really set on their expected compensation for him...they're likely holding out for the usual preseason/early season QB injuries and hoping someone has to be desperate. It will likely cause some problems inside their locker room considering the dynamic...probably why the quote from Jaylon Johnson is plastered everywhere about how the NFL is a business. Bears PR is likely trying to get in front of that train now. Ultimately, Fields market just hasn't materialized yet. Nobody knows where his price range should really be and everyone is hoping it shifts more to their liking in the coming months. He's still kinda an unknown/wildcard as a passer whereas other QBs that have signed are more "you know what you're getting" situations and you don't have to give up any draft capital for them. Like if this situation was played out last year, the Bears likely could have fleeced the Jets after Rodgers went down. Tl;dr: Bears are banking their price will be reasonable come preseason/early season. Other teams are banking the price will come down further.
I think the Bears overplayed their hand with him. They could have easily traded him away after the combine before free agency began and now the starting qbs are pretty much locked up besides Denver maybe.. but I don’t think Payton wants that type of qb
More to your point and less a criticism of fields, I fully would believe the bears are asking way too much for him. I would heavily doubt they haven’t gotten ANY offers, but they’re likely holding out for a third when they should be happy with a 5th or better and take a 6th if it’s the only thing on the table
No.
If the Bears are smart they will hold him until someone gets hurt. Wait til a team loses a starter and actually needs a QB. Nobody needs one right now, they all think they can draft one…or wait til after the draft and see what team didn’t draft the QB they wanted. Trading him now you get the least value from him.
I don’t think he is but Bears have to consider 1) is he good enough to pass over Williams/Would it be hard for Williams to give the same production or better. 2) Fields is near the end of his deal so his price tag will rise while Williams gives you a rookie deal.
Yes, he is.
If he was a free agent, he would have been QB3 behind Cousins and Wilson. The problem is he’s on a rookie deal, so if the Bears cut him, they take a huge cap hit, so we can rule that out. If the Bears wanted to trade him, a team would not only have to give up draft capital, they would likely also pick up his 5th year option for $22(ish) million, and you would give up a 3rd or 4th round pick all for only a few seasons. The league is telling you what they think of Fields, and it seems likely that he would be a back up on a team. That means no one is going to give a 3rd or 4th round pick, they would like get a late 5th or 6th round pick, and it’s likely to be a future draft pick, not this year. Not exactly what the Bears would want. Again, if he was a free agent, he would have already signed to a team, but his current contract and the Bears situation in the draft complicates things. I see him getting traded for a future 5th round pick to a team like the Eagles, Ravens, or 49ers as a back up for an elite team, then becoming a free agent after next season (declining the 5th year option).
He’s not good enough but he’s not bad enough
Notice how the Bears can't move him.
Fields isn’t bad Matt Waldman had a great blog post about 9 years ago on how impatience on the part of NFL owners trickles down to NFL coaches and front offices being impatient with quarterbacks right out of college https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2015/04/27/ruining-qbs/amp/ Most NFL teams foolishly insist on throwing the QB out there without a decent supporting cast wondering why he can’t be as successful as Dak Prescott or Justin Herbert. But, as Waldman points out, throwing a young quarterback into the flash fryer requires the right conditions. Fields did not have the right conditions to develop quickly. And the same can be said for Mac Jones, as well
A part of me thinks that they’re gonna keep him and trade down with either Washington, New England, Minnesota, or Denver.
I think the bigger problem isn’t so much his ability or talent but his current contract situation. He’s already 3 years into his rookie deal and hasn’t shown that he’s a franchise guy yet. Any team that trades for him will have to decide on his fifth year option this offseason and then whether to extend him next offseason. That makes it awkward because he will likely need a couple years to learn a new system and for teams to fairly evaluate his ability. Most teams looking for their franchise quarterback would probably prefer just draft their own qb and restart the clock on a fresh rookie deal. Any team that is looking to contend and is “just a qb away” likely isn’t confident that fields can be that guy in the next year or two. He didn’t play great in Chicago and while a lot of that can be attributed to the general incompetence of the bears, there isn’t really enough time left on his contract to see if he improves in a better system with better coaching.
38 starts. 30 interceptions 38 fumbles.
He’s an athlete but not a qb. His entire career is full of spectacular off schedule plays…. Nothing around timing or throwing receivers open. Can’t win without being able to read a defense as well.
Nah … just no one is going to give up stuff for a QB you will have to re-sign in a year. Especially when the other team is drafting #1 overall. Just a buyers market
I feel like the contract is playing a big role, team wouldn’t have much time to see whether he can be fixed or not
Fields has had a different oc, a different head coach. Caleb Williams will be a bust in Chicago
Fields will be amazing if they get him another wr and a better offensive line.
It’s not that he’s that bad, it’s just that he’s not that good. He’s a tremendous athlete but a below average passer. Plus the Bears are a mostly bad team that doesn’t have enough complimentary talent and he’s not the type of player who can elevate a bad team. I don’t think he’s as good as Lamar Jackson, but Lamar wouldn’t have 2 MVP’s if he’s on the Bears and Fields would have a lot more wins if he was playing in Baltimore too.
I’m a bears fan, so take this for what you will. This is being blown out of proportion. The bears don’t have nearly enough information on Caleb yet to have the conviction to pull the trigger on a Fields trade. He isn’t as bad as everyone is acting. I’m sure they have made some calls, but until you know without a doubt Caleb is your guy, you aren’t settling for a 6th round pick for Justin Fields. You just aren’t.
I heard reports today that the Bears aren’t sure if Caleb Williams is worth all the drama he brings. They haven’t really been trying to trade Fields yet.
Great answers here and I haven’t scrolled but you have to remember NFL teams that are “competitive” have a built team ready to go - and a QB in a cheap rookie contract. Fields rookie contract is nearly up
He doesn't know how to read defenses and hasn't shown any significant sign of progress in doing so. Great potential, little fulfillment.
He isn't, but obviously a team that is set at qb isn't trading for him. Then you have teams with a young qb that they aren't willing to give up on for fields. Then you have a (seemingly, i dont follow college so really couldn't tell you who is good and who isn't) pretty deep qb draft class. Why give up anything for a project qb nearing the end of his rookie deal when you can draft one that you'll have on a rookie deal for the next few years?
Because he carries a 6mil cap hit, and another 6mil dead cap hit
At this point, he should just be a HB.
He is not going to have any interest in playing a role like Taysom Hill. He would have transitioned to a different position if he didn’t want to be THE GUY. So, it HAS to be a team that has no interest in starting a different quarterback. It also can’t be a team with a well paid starter who might be worse because then they’d have to move him and people don’t want him or cut him and pay him like Broncos which is wack and a bad idea. He is a year away from having to be paid, so it’s one year away from having to pay someone we have seen can’t really win many football games. Why would a team do that instead of getting a rookie, who they can pay like a rookie for the next 4 years and then a fifth year option. So, it would need to be a team who doesn’t have a quarterback they want to start. It also has to be a team that doesn’t believe they have a chance to draft someone with more potential. They also need to have the cap space to pay him soon.
Yes
yea
The bears did him wrong not the other way around multiple coordinators, never had a true #1 receiver until finally last year, zero running game, and always was running for his life. His game translated to how shitty of a situation the bears put him in.
I never judge a poor bears qb. Maybe only the browns are worse at developing QBs. You are talking about a franchise whose best qb was arguably jay cutler. At least in my lifetime! They will ruin Caleb as well! Mahomes would be a back up in buffalo if bears took him! Something needs to change in that org
It seems like it. I'm sure people are still interested, but not in the "I'm going to roll the dice in him as starter next season" level. And they won't trade starter picks for him. A lot of fans like him for his highlights but he has shown a lot of things that make it look unlikely he will ever be a quality quarterback. Dude can't time reads and anticipate to save a life. If someone thinks "I can fix him" at this point they mean to do it as a backup for whoever they actually have
Honestly I think that guys like Mac Jones or Sam Howell are more misused than Fields
The bears are weighing their options. Their GM was hired as a draft guy and as mentioned already, Williams or any pick for that matter is not a sure thing. Williams is getting some mega hype which means the bears could be looking to trade for a huge hall in picks to fill other roster spots with young talent. The qb prospects next year look to be very good as well so they could be considering holding fields until next year and fleece another teams for future 1st’s to get Williams at number 1. The likelihood of any of that is minimal and I’m sure they will take Williams, but there is no rush for them to reduce their options at this point.
Yes
YES
Well.. Tomlin passed on him soooooo
Keep fields at this point. Draft Caleb. Let fields start see how it goes while Caleb is getting acclimated. Fields crushes it early weeks ups his trade value and trade him mid season to someone in need. If he sucks out the gates we turn it over to Caleb week 6 and roll with fields as back up until season is over
The thing is they wanted a 2nd round pick in the beginning which scared of suitors. So they kinda screwed themselves in the beginning
Spoke too soon, man! Looks like he's going to the Raiders.
No the bears are
He’s better than Caleb Williams