Not everybody was on board with trading Justin Fields when it happened. Lots of fans felt it was unnecessary. The young quarterback finally appeared to be turning a corner, playing some of his best football down the stretch of last season. They went 5-4 in the last nine games. It seemed like he’d done enough to earn another year. However, GM Ryan Poles disagreed. He felt the team had to get better at passing the football if it was going to make the leap into the upper echelon of the NFC. Fields hadn’t made enough progress in that department to justify passing on another quarterback at #1 overall.
So the Bears traded him to Pittsburgh for a conditional 6th round pick, then selected Caleb Williams with the top pick in the draft. Fans eventually came around to the decision, realizing there was nothing they could do. They watched more of Williams’ work, listened to experts, and soon understood the Bears’ decision was sensible. Not everybody is on board, though. Former NFL quarterback Steve Beuerlein stated on The Bull Pen with Adam The Bull that he still thinks trading Fields was a mistake.
“I think there were a lot of things working against him [Fields] in Chicago. Mainly the instability and overall talent around him. Not being given the opportunity to grow in a system with a lot of weapons and different offensive philosophies that would fit him.”
“My big statement on this whole evolution of what happened with Justin Fields, I thought the Bears made a huge mistake not trading that first pick.”
“I think the Bears, if they trade away that first pick, commit to Fields for one more year, and I know the sentiment in Chicago is that Caleb Williams is an elite franchise QB… what they would’ve gotten in exchange for that first pick could’ve solidified that football team in a lot of areas, and prepared and set the table to go on a really nice run either this year or next year.”
They held the #1 overall pick that year as well. Poles chose to trade it rather than take Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, believing Fields needed another season of evaluation. The roster also wasn’t that good. By trading the pick to Carolina, they received wide receiver D.J. Moore, right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, and Williams. They still have a 2nd round pick in 2025 as well. Nobody can argue that trade elevated the team far more rapidly than expected. Beuerlein believes giving up the rights to Williams likely would’ve yielded even more.
Logistically, it makes sense. More high-value assets should mean better chances to find great players. The problem is the Chicago Bears understood the underlying reality of the NFL. You only get so many chances to land a premium quarterback. There was no way the team was landing the #1 pick again. It was either ride it out with Justin Fields or pray for the good fortune of a franchise QB falling to them in the 2025 draft. Poles wasn’t willing to play those odds. Beuerlein’s perspective isn’t shocking. He was a 4th round pick in 1987 and ended up having a successful career. It is likely he thought the Bears would be able to find somebody.
He didn’t take into account this team’s track record at the position.
