Justin Fields had plenty of outspoken supporters when the 2023 season ended, and the rumors began about a possible change at quarterback. D.J. Moore was the most active on that front, but Jaylon Johnson was close behind. The All-Pro cornerback felt Fields was starting to show signs of maturity as a passer. He’d already established himself as a locker room leader. The Bears had gone 5-4 down the stretch last season. Johnson felt the quarterback had done enough to justify another year.
GM Ryan Poles disagreed. He felt the lack of significant progress as a passer, combined with his expiring rookie contract, made it impossible for the Bears to justify passing on a quarterback at #1 overall for the second year in a row. As a result, they shipped him to Pittsburgh for a conditional 6th round pick and selected Caleb Williams in April. While Johnson is already becoming a big fan of the rookie, he made it clear on The Rich Eisen Show that Fields never really got a fair chance in Chicago.
The harsh reality is Fields arrived at the absolute worst possible time. Already, the Bears were in a downward spiral under Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. The roster was aging, and both men were in the hot seat. Worse still, their plan to develop Fields was ill-conceived, to say the least. They planned to sit him during his rookie season, hoping to use that time to help him adjust to the speed and complexity of the NFL level. Instead, he seemed to resent veterans Andy Dalton and Nick Foles playing ahead of him. Nagy made matters worse by abandoning the plan and throwing him into the starting lineup after Dalton got hurt.
It didn’t work. Fields struggled and the team went 6-11. Nagy and Pace were fired. Poles and Eberflus replaced them. After evaluating the organization, both agreed a complete roster reset was necessary. That meant every notable veteran was either traded or released if their contracts allowed it. Fields had a completely gutted roster around him, and it showed in 2022. Last year, there were improvements, but not enough to swing the pendulum in time. Jaylon Johnson recognized that. Maybe if Fields had arrived even one year later, things might’ve been different.
We will never know.
