'Let Me Know!' Ex Ohio State QB Justin Fields Talks Future With Bears
Justin Fields doesn't want to leave the Chicago Bears. Even if he doesn't follow the team on social media, it doesn't mean he wants to be playing elsewhere.
The former Ohio State quarterback joined the St. Brown Bros podcast Wednesday to discuss his future with the franchise entering the 2024 season. When asked what he wants, Fields said if the power was in his hands, he'd stick around in the Windy City for Year 4.
"I love the city. The city is lit," said Fields. "The fans there, they’re great. The people, too. But it’s a business. I ain’t got no control over it, so whatever happens happens. But I feel like the biggest thing with all this going on right now is that I just want it to be over. Like, just let me know if I’m getting traded. Let me know if I’m staying.”
Chicago has options with two first-round picks. After trading the No. 1 pick to Carolina last offseason, the Bears are back on the clock first overall following a last-place finish in the NFC.
The Bears could trade the pick again, leading to a king's ransom in draft capital, or stand pat and draft a quarterback. Early expectations are if Chicago stands pat, it would be to select USC passer and former Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Chicago also owns the No. 9 pick after finishing 7-10 behind Fields.
"It's a unique spot in the draft to have the first overall pick, the ninth overall pick," new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. "Just from an organization in general, you know, it's not going to happen too often."
Everything is on the table for now. Williams, the consensus top prospect who guided the Trojans to an 11-win season under Lincoln Riley in 2022, could also divert from playing for Chicago in a similar fashion to Eli Manning and John Elway.
A native of the D.C. area, the Washington Commanders could be a landing spot for Williams in either a trade-up or blockage from Chicago making the pick. New head coach Dan Quinn recently hired Kliff Kingsbury as his offensive coordinator, who worked with Williams as the Trojans' OC in 2023.
In two seasons under Riley, Williams threw 72 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions while completing 67.5 percent of his passes and averaging 314.2 yards per game. He rushed also for 21 touchdowns.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles acknowledged that Fields improved down the stretch and would consider all options. Fields, who helped Ohio State reach the national championship in 2020, was a layover from the previous regime when Poles was hired from Kansas City.
That doesn't mean Poles isn't interested in retaining Fields. He bet on him back-to-back offseasons despite winning less than 25 percent of his games. Fields have made modest progress, especially in both completion percentage and passer rating.
Still, even with the progress Fields remains a bottom-statiscal passer.
"Justin got better," Poles said following the season. "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."
Should Chicago turn to the draft, it's best to assume Fields would be traded. A native of Georgia, Fields was asked if he'd be interested in playing for the Atlanta Falcons, who have gone 21-30 over the previous three seasons with three different quarterbacks.
“Atlanta would be tough,” Fields said. “The only con of going back home is people hitting my phone like crazy wanting tickets to the game. They’ve got a lot of good players. They probably need one more receiver. But they’ve definitely got some guys over there and their defense [is good].”
The Falcons would have a stable offense in place for Fields to flourish behind receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, running back Bijan Robinson, and a top-five line. Fields would also learn under new coordinator Zac Robinson, who revitalized the career of Matthew Stafford following back surgery this offseason.