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Will he stay or will he go?
That’s what Justin Fields wants to know sooner rather than later from the Chicago Bears.
The quarterback recently unfollowed the team that originally selected him 11th overall in 2021, and then moved on to the Podcast “St. Brown Brothers” this week to offer his first public comments since the 2023 season ended.
When Fields was asked why he dropped the Bears on Instagram, he initially responded with a joke.
“Why do people take social media so seriously?” Fields told the brothers. “I’m just trying to take a little break. I stopped following the Bears and the NFL. I don’t just try to have football on my timeline. … I’m about to go on vacation, I don’t want to watch football.”
Thanks to his trade to the Carolina Panthers last offseason, Chicago owns the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Even though the 24-year-old began playing better down the stretch after returning from a dislocation of the thumb, many experts expect Chicago to move on from Fields.
The Bears didn’t use the first pick in last year’s draft, but with a second chance to pick first, not exploring the quarterback position is not an option for Chicago. This year’s crop of QB prospects includes USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye as the house leaders.
Not only that, the team retained head coach Matt Eberflus but revamped its offensive coaching staff. At the very least, the front office is giving Eberflus another year to prove that the offense’s problems are not the result of his coaching, but of having the wrong framework around him.
As such, there has been a whirlwind of conversations about what to do with Fields: stand by him or negotiate with him elsewhere. If the Bears go with the trade option, which team makes the most sense and has the most to offer Chicago in return?
Finally, as the conversation with the St. Brown brothers progressed, Fields admitted that he was simply tired of not knowing what the future held. The Bears hold all the cards, Fields is stuck in the middle and there’s nothing he can do to change that until Chicago makes a decision.
So he used the platform he had to let the Bears know that he’s happy in Chicago, but if they don’t want him, he’d appreciate it if they would just say that.
“If it were up to me, I would like to stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city is illuminated. The fans are fantastic,” she said. “…The most important thing is that I just want this to be over. Let me know if they’re going to trade me (or) let me know if I’m staying.”