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Courtney Cronin, ESPN writer
CHICAGO — Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was the Chiefs’ director of college scouting in 2017 when Kansas City drafted quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who sat for a year and learned behind veteran starter Alex Smith . The Poles know the dynamic could work.
But that’s not what he faced with the Bears.
Instead of having a proven starter like Smith, the Bears had Justin Fields entering his fourth season with questions about his development. Adding a No. 1 pick as the USC quarterback Caleb Williams into the mix, even just for offseason workouts and training camp, could have made the situation untenable, or at least uncomfortable for both players. With several Bears players recently expressing strong support for Fields, the potential for locker room discord had to be considered.
The Poles avoided that scenario by trading Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night for a 2025 sixth-round pick, which becomes a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51% of the offensive snaps this season.
“You just can’t (have both on the roster),” one NFL assistant coach told ESPN before the trade. “The league called Chicago’s bluff and won.
“They’re not going to get anything for (Fields), and they just need to let him go.”
Clearly, it was not the compensation the Poles originally sought. A source with knowledge of the team’s plans told ESPN that the Bears had initially considered a Day 2 draft pick plus a conditional late 2025 pick. Six teams, including Pittsburgh, came in with a variety of offers, with most I imagined Fields as a substitute.
Due to a flurry of QB activity, Fields’ market was shrinking. After failing to move Fields before the start of free agency, several NFL front office sources told ESPN they believed Chicago’s best chance to get the compensation it wanted, or closer to it, would be if a team lost the quarterback it needed. he hoped to write in April.
The Poles also could have waited until the start of the season, and when a starting quarterback was injured, they involved that team in trade negotiations.
But when the Poles said during the combine in February that they wanted to “do the right thing” with Fields, that meant not subjecting him to an extended period before being traded. It also meant not trading him to a team that had a young starting quarterback, and the Steelers met that criteria after signing Russell Wilson to a one-year deal.
“We have been involved in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe that trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is in the best interest of both Justin and the Bears,” Poles said in a statement. “…We spoke to Justin to inform him about the trade and the reason behind it for us as a club.
“We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and everything he put into our franchise and community over the past three years and wish him the best for a long and successful career in the NFL.”
In a social media post Saturday, Fields thanked the Bears and the city of Chicago “for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of such a historic franchise.”
It meant a lot to the Poles to be able to part ways with Fields, who was drafted by general manager Ryan Pace in 2021, on good terms. That may not have been the case if he had retained Fields and drafted Williams.
Additionally, the Poles wanted to put their new quarterback in the best position to be successful, and as he commented at the combine, there are a lot of factors to consider.
“What is the infrastructure like?” he said. “What’s around the player? I think that’s key.”
In Chicago, what surrounds the rookie quarterback the Bears will select is a roster that is ready to compete.
Newly acquired wide receiver Keenan Allen joins wide receiver DJ Moore as the only teammates in the NFL to have at least 90 receptions and 1,200 yards in 2023. Bears improved their backfield with D’Andre Swift, added Gerald Everett to the tight end room and are improving along the offensive line after adding a projected starter at center in Coleman Shelton. Chicago’s young defense is loaded with talent, from defensive end Montez Sweat to cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Establishing a clear role for their future QB1 separated the Poles from the way the organization operated in the past, such as when the team traded up to draft Fields, sandwiching him between two veteran quarterbacks: Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. — who weren’t interested in giving up their jobs to a rookie.
There won’t be any suspense over who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback after the first round of the draft on April 25. The only question is how much of an upgrade he will be over Fields.