Is Bears QB Justin Fields unfollowing the team on Instagram amidst trade rumors and an uncertain future in Chicago?

The future is extremely murky for Justin Fields. At one point not long ago, the former first-round quarterback was looked at as the franchise cornerstone, so much so that the Chicago Bears opted to trade the first overall pick last offseason. A year later, however, the club again finds itself atop the NFL Draft and appears it will make the selection, likely opting for USC quarterback Caleb Williams. If/when that happens, it effectively ends Fields’ tenure in the Windy City. 

And those severing of ties may already be happening between Chicago and Fields. As pointed out by CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli, Fields isn’t following the Bears’ official Instagram account, which leads to the question of whether or not the quarterback unfollowed it amid his uncertain future. 

Of course, it’s worth noting that it’s unclear whether or not Fields even followed the Bears in the first place. If he was, it’s also unknown when he decided to unfollow the team. What we can highlight is that Fields’ Google cache from Sunday showed that he follows 798 people, which has since dropped to 778 followers. So, 20 accounts were unfollowed, but it’s unclear if any of those happened to be the Bears. All that said, the point remains he does not currently follow the team on Instagram, but does follow the team on X (formerly known as Twitter). While admittedly trivial, this has proven to be a key signal of a possible separation between an athlete and his current team in today’s sports landscape, so it is noteworthy.  

A recent report from Sports Illustrated noted noted that other teams across the NFL began inquiring about a possible trade for Fields at this year’s Senior Bowl. Those talks will likely only ramp up leading into the NFL Scouting Combine, which is typically a hotbed for such trade talks to occur. In an ideal world, Chicago would likely want to have Fields’ situation sorted out before the NFL Draft this spring so they can have a smooth transition to Williams if/when he is the No. 1 overall pick.