Justin Fields' status with Bears up in the air after GM comments

Tick, tick, tick... Justin Fields' tenure with the Chicago Bears could be coming to an end shortly.

The Bears face a challenging and unique dilemma in the 2024 offseason. After trading away the No. 1 pick last year as a display of confidence in Fields, Chicago owns the No. 1 pick again in 2024 — courtesy of the Carolina Panthers. The Bears (and Fields) improved tremendously compared to last season. After their sluggish 0-4 start, the Bears went 7-6 the rest of the way. Matt Eberflus kept his job, the defense worked miracles, and Fields strung together some of the best performances of his career.

And yet, the Bears still own the No. 1 pick and long-time top prospect Caleb Williams is right there for the taking. Chicago could swerve and add complementary talent, such as Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. Maybe the Bears trade back again. It worked out last time, just ask the Panthers. But, all signs point toward Chicago using the pick on Williams and ditching Fields.

When asked about the difficult decision at hand, Bears GM Ryan Poles refused to offer clarity. He did, however, leave the door wide open for Fields' departure (h/t NBC Sports),.

"I did think Justin got better. I think he can lead this team. But at the same time, there’s a unique situation where I have to look and our staff has to look at everything, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do, and that’s the same with free agency. We’re going to look at our free agents, given my personnel staff, do evaluations, and again, make the best decision we can for this organization to take the next step."

Poles said the Bears are in "information gathering mode," a sharp departure from last offseason, when he told reporters he would have to be "blown away" to use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback. A lot can change in a year. No sports league captures that fact of life better than the NFL. At the ripe age of 24 years old, Fields could soon be on his way to a new home.

Bears GM Ryan Poles leaves door open for Justin Fields' departure

The Bears will continue to gather information in the months to come, but there is a fairly unambiguous consensus built around Caleb Williams. USC's season did not go to plan, but Williams' singular physical gifts are well documented and he's one of the most productive college QBs in recent memory. He is, in many ways, the idealized version of Justin Fields on paper. Mobile, with a talent for improvisation and a proper canon to move the ball downfield.

Fields did show signs of growth in his third NFL season. He managed 13 starts, completing 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He added 657 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. One can still knock Fields' limitations as a thrower, but he improved as a decision-maker and took fewer sacks. He is, again, 24 years old. If the Bears don't stick it out, another team could reap the benefits of Fields' immense upside. Athletes of his caliber are few and far between at the QB position.

Chicago is plainly setting the stage for Fields' departure. There is a slim chance Chicago pivots elsewhere on draft night — or even keeps Fields on the roster to compete with Williams in training camp — but common logic points to trading Fields, stockpiling assets, and building the new offense around Caleb Williams. Chicago fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy on Wednesday, so now is the perfect time to bring in a new quarterback. Lock in Williams and base other moves on his skill set.

Fields could be great one day, but the operative world there is "could." Williams is by no means a sure thing, as rookies are inherently volatile, but he's a much stronger bet. It's a tough break for Fields, who earned another bite at the apple, but the circumstances favor change.