The Bears’ president speaks on Justin Fields’ condition ahead of the crucial summer.
The Bears’ search for their 2024 starting quarterback continues. After agreeing to deal the No. 1 overall pick to the Panthers before free agency began last year, supporters should expect a Justin Fields move shortly. The Bears are still expected to trade their three-year starter and keep the pick, but they have not made a decision yet.
Given the hype around Caleb Williams as a prospect, it would be surprising if Chicago traded the first selection for the second year in a row. The team may be able to get more in a trade for that draft pick than it would in a Fields swap. This adds mystery to the team’s selection, and contractual issues are also important considerations.
“I’m a supporter of Justin because I had the opportunity to work with him when I was the Big Ten conference commissioner,” Bears president Kevin Warren said during a WGN interview, according to NBC Sports Chicago. “He is extremely talented. He is intelligent. He works hard. And he aspires to be an elite NFL football player. And now all he has to do is ensure that he gets the necessary support.
“Justin has a unique combination of intelligence, size, strength, and speed.” You don’t realize how large of a man he is until you’re up on him. He is not a little man. I really think he’ll improve year after year.”
Warren, who first studied Fields during his two-year tenure as Ohio State’s starter, is a crucial part of this process. Although GM Ryan Poles oversees the Bears’ front office, Warren serves as a liaison between ownership and football operations. Poles stated last month that the Bears were in a unique circumstance with their quarterback decision. It is unclear how much control Warren will give the third-year GM on this front. Given the Poles’ job description, any opposition from the second-year president would be noteworthy.
“One of the things about Ryan and I’s working relationship is the fact that we’re in this together,” he remarked. “I know he spends every day thinking about not only that decision, but also who to draft at No. 9, our existing roster, what we’re going to do in free agency, and what we’re doing in terms of contract negotiations. I’m sure he’s already mentally preparing for the draft.
“I look forward to going to the Combine here later this month and then getting the chance to spend some time together because we’re in a very, very unique space in time in the Bears.”
Warren joined the Bears in January 2023, a year after hiring Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. While Warren was first touted as a solely business addition, rumors circulated that the former Lions and Vikings executive would also play a role in football. Warren did not disrupt the Poles-Eberflus partnership this offseason, and the former Big Ten commissioner is thought to have a positive relationship with the team’s general manager. It would be fascinating if the two power brokers disagreed on this pivotal choice, but nothing on that front has emerged during the Bears’ most recent will-they/won’t-they debacle involving dealing a No. 1 overall pick.
This organization has not made a No. 1 overall draft pick since 1947, and a weekend report indicated that a team would need a “historic haul” to pull this year’s top pick away from the Bears. Last year, Chicago opted not to draft Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, or Anthony Richardson. Poles made Fields his offseason focal point. Although the Poles did not choose Fields, his 2023 offseason decision will be significant. Poles has another shot now that the Bears have reclaimed the first pick as a result of the Panthers’ 2-15 record.
A couple clubs need a quarterback but don’t have a top-three choice. The Falcons (No. 8), Broncos (No. 12), and Raiders (No. 13) are the only teams that do not currently have exclusive negotiation rights to a starter-caliber option (despite Russell Wilson’s position; he is expected to be released); the Vikings (No. 11) and Buccaneers (No. 26) do. Prior to last year’s free agency, Poles had discussions with a few teams, most notably a three-team trade with Houston and Carolina, before trading the pick to the Panthers.
The Bears are considering Fields’ trajectory and upcoming fifth-year option price against the benefits of a future with Williams โ the 2022 Heisman winner who has been the clubhouse favorite to go No. 1 overall for over a year. The USC product is on a rookie contract for at least three years, which would naturally appeal to the Bears, who might get at least one Day 2 pick โ possibly more, given the needs of the aforementioned clubs โ for Fields.
A scenario in which the Bears choose a quarterback at No. 1 while keeping Fields has lately surfaced, but this has long appeared to be an either/or dilemma. Warren’s pro-Fields statements were to be expected at this point, but this remains a key 2024 NFL subject to follow.
