ESPN analyst suggests Bears move on from Justin Fields if he doesn’t perform originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
This season marks a paramount year for Justin Fields.
He is, in essence, playing on a contract year, with a rookie extension representing the monetary prize at the end of the season. But if he doesn’t live up to the team’s expectations, one ESPN analyst says the Bears should consider moving off the quarterback.
“I believe in Justin Fields … But if he doesn’t get it done this year then there are no excuses,” Mike Greenberg said on ESPN’s Get Up!. “Then it is the right thing for [the Bears] to consider moving on.”
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Make no mistake, Fields recorded terrific flashes last season.
He rushed for one of the NFL’s best seasons for a quarterback in its history. His 1,143 yards are second to Lamar Jackson for a quarterback in single-season history. He added eight touchdowns, multiple of which were over 60 yards.
Fields has the speed, the elusiveness and some of the playmaking ability down. But his game through the air isn’t solidified. He’s failed to throw for over 2,300 yards in a single season; his career completion rate is below 60%; and he held one of the lowest passing QBRs last season.
If he can’t live up to expectations this season, should the Bears move on from him?
It seems a bit premature, considering he has two seasons left on his rookie deal. One could argue it would be foolish for a team to move off a rookie quarterback who’s provided, at least, some resonance of elite flashes. Quarterback is the most expensive position in the NFL, and arguably in professional sports.
Nevertheless, the Bears have a “get out of jail free card” they earned this offseason. They delivered their No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers. In exchange for many items in return, one of them was their 2024 first-round draft pick.
The Panthers are likely to be one of football’s worst teams this season. They drafted Bryce Young, the quarterback from Alabama, with the No. 1 pick in the draft. But no one can say for sure how the rookie will perform in his first season.
The Bears also have their first-round pick for the upcoming draft. They, hopefully, won’t perform as they did last season, earning the first pick by way of finishing with the NFL’s worst record. But they have the assets in hand to move up in the draft, if they desired.
Caleb Williams, the USC quarterback, and Drake Maye, the North Carolina quarterback, poise to be two of the top signal-caller prospects in the 2024 NFL draft. If they fell inclined, the Bears could pursue either of the two to succeed Fields in a hypothetical season failure.
It’s a long shot, for sure. But the Bears have insurance, should they gain the motivation to find a new quarterback.
That being said, Fields threw for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a perfect 3-for-3 outing on Saturday against the Titans. The small sample size of his preseason outing isn’t significant enough to foreshadow a successful season.
But all signs are pointing up, as of this writing.
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