Rapoport: Justin Fields’ Bears Future Undecided amid Caleb Williams, NFL Draft Rumors

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When Justin Fields hits the field for Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, it could be the final time as the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the Bears have made no long-term decisions about Fields as their franchise quarterback as they prepare to evaluate the position ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Bears have the No. 1 pick via the Carolina Panthers, who traded their 2024 first-round pick to Chicago a year ago to move up and take Bryce Young.

A year ago, Chicago was in the exact same position and chose to double down on Fields as the starter by surrounding him with a better roster. The Bears have more than doubled their win total from 2022 and go into the final week of the season a respectable 7-9, but the jury remains out on Fields as a true QB1.

Fields has thrown for 2,414 yards and 16 touchdowns against nine interceptions while adding 630 yards and four touchdowns as a rusher. Chicago has trusted Fields to pass more this season than last, but he’s created fewer big plays through the air despite a stronger receiving corps. He’s thrown multiple touchdowns in a game just twice all season, and that two-game stretch accounts for half of his entire passing touchdown total.

While there are times Fields looks like one of the most dynamic playmakers in football and he has the arm to make every throw on the field, his decision-making and timing as a passer need work.

Complicating matters even more is the fact the Bears will have to make a decision on Fields’ fifth-year option in his rookie contract this offseason. That number is projected in the $25 million range—a pittance for a quality starting quarterback—but keeping the No. 1 pick and taking USC’s Caleb Williams resets the contractual clock.

The Bears would also be able to flip Fields to a quarterback-needy team, likely netting a second-round pick that could increase to a first based on performance incentives. It’s possible a team even offers Chicago a first in the 2024 draft outright given the state of the position around the league.

Resetting the quarterback clock is a risk because there’s no guarantee Williams (or North Carolina’s Drake Maye) pans out, but that scenario would allow the Bears to build out their roster around their young quarterback in a way they never quite did during the early part of Fields’ deal.

It’s one of the most interesting conundrums in the league heading into this offseason.