In light of Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren?s recent comments, there could be even more internal support for Justin Fields than some previous reports would let on.
?Chicago staffers got inquiries from other teams on Fields in Mobile. And while the Bears haven?t shopped Fields, those conversations did allow the team to start to gauge the 2021 first-rounder?s worth out there on the market,? Sports Illustrated?s Albert Breer wrote on February 19.
?The Bears are meeting over the next couple weeks to finalize plans at quarterback, with the expectation that they?ll have the plan in place in Indianapolis next week.?
Insider: Bears ‘Haven’t Shopped’ Justin Fields
Bears’ Plans Could Become Clear Soon
This contradicts recent sentiments that it?s a matter of when and not if Fields is traded.
Unless the Bears exercise his fifth-year option ? a decision that does not have to be made until May ? Fields is under contract for one more season (2024) before they have to either extend him or apply the franchise tag.
Helping to drive speculation is the Bears? possession of the No. 1 overall pick and the previously held consensus that they were selecting Caleb Williams.
ESPN?s Adam Schefter said on February 11 that the team has discussed keeping Fields and a rookie quarterback.
But he admitted that that was ?unlikely?. Breer points to Bears general manager Ryan Poles? previous trade out of the No. 1 spot for a potential timeline.
Right after the Scouting Combine which runs from February 26 through March 4.
?Bears GM Ryan Poles went to the combine in 2023 holding the first overall pick, knowing he?d try to move it but without having done much in the way of shopping it. Less than two weeks later, he moved it,? Breer wrote. ?This time around … it makes sense?again, if you?re going to trade Fields?to do it soon.?
Breer does say that the Bears “love” Fields personally and “really like” him as a player. But he speculates that will only mean they do right by Fields.
Breer believes that the opportunity to select Williams will ultimately be too great to pass on.
Kevin Warren’s Comments Stirred Pot
Warren’s comments came off poorly in some NFL corners according Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Florio cites an anonymous league source as questioning the Bears president’s knowledge of personnel.
?This where the business guys get themselves in trouble,? an anonymous league source said, per Florio on February 19. ?[Warren] knows nothing about players.”