Delusional Bears fans picket for Justin Fields ahead of critical NFL Draft

Fresh off another sub-.500 season and another loss to the Green Bay Packers, some fans of the Chicago Bears are still all-in on Justin Fields being their starting quarterback for another. In all fairness, he has played very well in year two of Luke Getsy's offense under Matt Eberflus. Had this been a normal offseason for the Bears, I could understand rolling it all back, but this one is different.

Because the Bears moved back from No. 1 to No. 9 in a deal with the Carolina Panthers last spring so that David Tepper's Charlottean franchise could take former Alabama star quarterback Bryce Young first overall, Chicago has Carolina's first pick this spring. Carolina's former pick just so happens to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, one that is full of promising quarterback draft prospects.

We could see quarterbacks go one-two-three this spring with Caleb Williams out of USC going first, Drake Maye out of North Carolina going second, and potentially LSU's Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels going third. Given that Washington picking at No. 2 and New England picking at No. 3 are in dire need of a quarterback, Chicago needs to be logical about this, and probably trade Fields.

Still, some Bears fans are content with settling for mediocrity, instead of a shot at seeing greatness.

There is one reason and one reason alone why Eberflus and Getsy will be okay with general manager Ryan Poles trading away Fields this winter: Job security. Drafting Williams or Maye will give them that.

Some Chicago Bears fans want Justin Fields back with the team next year

For those not aware of what college football stars like Daniels, Maye and Williams could bring to the table, let me give a few high-end comps for each player. Daniels is some approximation of Dak Prescott, or even Lamar Jackson. Maye projects to be somewhat like an Aaron Rodgers under center. And as for Williams, he has the arm talent to be the next Patrick Mahomes. You would want that, right?

Look. Even if Fields goes on to be a Pro Bowler in the back-half of his 20s for somebody else, everybody associated with the Bears organization owes it to themselves to take a flier on someone like a Daniels, Maye or Williams. Their NFL comps are all better than what Fields is now, and maybe what he could ever be. If they were to fail, Eberflus and Poles will not be blamed for this happening.

However, if the Bears trade out of the No. 1 pick and let someone like Washington, New England, or somebody else entirely take Williams first and he becomes a total rockstar, everybody in Halas Hall outside of the descendents of George Halas himself will be fired into the sun. It is for that reason why the Bears really have no choice but to trade Fields away this offseason. They cannot mess this up.

Fields may be a fan favorite in Chicagoland, but the same could be said for Daniels, Maye or Williams.