Darnell Mooney’s contract is yet another bad sign for Justin Fields, Bears

The Chicago Bears are stuck between a rock and a hard place, at least in the eyes of Ryan Poles and the front office. Caleb Williams won't officially meet with the team until later this month. In the meantime, the Bears remain unconvinced, which has led to a protracted Justin Fields trade saga.

As QB openings evaporate around the league, a Fields trade does not feel particularly imminent. We have to assume the Bears will see reason and eventually select Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, but the cost of due diligence and/or hesitation is a diminishing trade market.

We know the Bears value Fields, truly. Probably more than any other NFL team, which is precisely the issue. Fields showed growth in his third NFL season, but he also dealt with injuries while accumulating 44 sacks in 13 games. The questions about arm talent and decision-making have not dissipated. He is a naturally talented but immensely flawed QB entering his age-25 season.

A team should take the plunge on Fields, who carries more upside than all but a few QB prospects available in the 2024 NFL Draft. But, the price of that plunge and the complicated nature of Fields' expiring contract threatens to stall Chicago's offseason plans. The team has indicated a desire to move Fields quickly if Williams is indeed the choice at No. 1, but we know the Bears won't liquidate a valued QB for pennies on the dollar.

Bears Twitter aficionado Jeremy Layton sums it up perfectly.

The Chicago Bears love Justin Fields, but does anybody else?

There are members of Bears Twitter who will argue unequivocally for keeping Fields over Williams. That is not an entirely indefensible position when factoring in the return value of trading the No. 1 pick (again). But, to be frank, Williams is much better than Fields. Meaningfully so. If the Bears don't leap at the opportunity to draft a potentially generational prospect, it will probably backfire. There are few more valuable assets in the NFL than a franchise QB on a rookie contract.

A lot of blame has been tossed around for Chicago's offensive struggles during the Fields era. Previous OC Luke Getsy was a constant target for criticism, as was the Bears' supposedly weak WR room. But, Getsy landed the Las Vegas Raiders job days after being fired. Darnell Mooney, lambasted for drops and inconsistency, just inked a $39 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

There is validity to the vitriol aimed from Bears fans toward both Getsy and Mooney. The former was responsible for the system in which Fields has largely struggled to date. Mooney tallied 31 receptions on 61 targets last season — that's a lot of whiffs.

On the flip side... Mooney was only tallied three drops in the official records. At a certain point, the blame is reflected on Fields for missing throws. For not executing Getsy's scheme. It's not unheard of for Las Vegas or Atlanta to make questionable personnel decisions, but clearly the league at large puts more stock in Fields' supporting cast than it does in Fields. That is a perception the Bears need to combat viciously in trade conversations over the next couple weeks.

Again, these jobs are disappearing fast. The Steelers and Falcons were perfect situations for Fields on paper. Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins effectively eliminate those teams as options. New England does not feel like a Fields team. Las Vegas signed Gardner Minshew and has Aidan O'Connell on the back burner. The Vikings splurged on Sam Darnold.

At what point does Fields' market disappear completely?