The silver lining in a 1-5 start is that it has activated the most … creative parts of Bears fans’ minds in a desire to make things better. And that’s good, because we’ll need to dig deep to figure out what to do with quarterback Justin Fields.
There is no shortage of options or opinions when it comes to what the Bears should do with Fields. So let’s discuss some of the ones that are making the rounds.
Trade Justin Fields?
The NFL’s trade deadline is in two weeks. So while you’re stocking up on Halloween candy, teams around the league are looking to make some sweet deals of their own. Some teams will be looking for a treat to add to their team (all while avoiding the trick of overspending at the Oct. 31 deadline). And with a 1-5 record, the Bears are in a position to trade players for picks in upcoming NFL Drafts. One of those players could conceivably be quarterback Justin Fields:
Is former Bears Head Coach Dave Wannstedt (now an analyst on a variety of platforms) expecting a Fields trade? No. Would he be surprised if Fields was dealt for a top pick? Also no. And for what it’s worth, Wannstedt isn’t the only one who can envision a Fields trade.
A proposal from The Athletic’s Jeff Howe:
- BEARS TRADE: Justin Fields to the Falcons
- FALCONS TRADE: QB Taylor Heinicke, a 2024 second-round pick, and a conditional third-round pick in 2025
Howe concludes that it would make sense for the Bears to try to maximize on Fields’ trade value with the QB looking like a fit for Arthur Smith’s offense and the Bears trending toward a place where they’ll be picking USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. But Howe also admits an in-season trade doesn’t seem all too likely and might be more sensible to re-visit in the offseason.
Fields’ injury status likely complicates things, but I suppose we’re on trade rumor watch moving forward.
Bench Justin Fields?
Was the Tyson Bagent preseason experience fun? Absolutely. Watching preseason games and paint dry gives off the same aesthetic. But Bagent made the most of his summertime playing time and brought life to lifeless exhibition games. With that being said, I’m not ready to hand him the keys to the castle. However, it seems as if some are ready to do so:
Bagent backers will point to his quick release and completion numbers (I’m not going to take a 71.4% completion rate after being unexpectedly thrust into the guts of a game for granted) as evidence that it is time for the rookie undrafted free agent to get the call. But Bagent’s detractors would likely point to his fumble (which directly led to a Vikings scoop-and-score) and interception (which sealed the game for Minnesota) as reasons to hit the brakes. There should not be much of a debate on who should start with Justin Fields out this week. But what happens when (if?) Fields returns?
Benching a healthy Fields would be a gross overreaction. But we’ve seen this franchise do over-reactionary benchings in the past. Some worked (remember Nick Foles saved the day?) and others didn’t (Marc Trestman benching Jay Cutler for Jimmy Clausen is one of the most galaxy-brained decisions I’ve ever seen a Chicago coach make). So I can’t rule that out.
If this front office gets to a point where it is totally out on Fields, then maybe at that point you consider sitting Fields for Bagent. But even if that happened, the more prudent thing to do would be to see if Fields can build up some trade value late in the season and create a place for a clean break up.
Draft Justin Fields’ replacement and put him in a QB competition?
For what it’s worth, there *IS* a path to Justin Fields being the Bears quarterback next year. If not the guy, an option to be the guy. There is even a path to Fields starting next year battling for the competition. And Jarrett Payton takes it a step further:
Drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams and putting him in direct competition with Justin Fields for the starting quarterback job would do more than create controversy. It would be the single most anticipated event in the football universe. This would be must-see TV. A cascade of reporters would avalanche toward Halas Hall and deliver breathless updates at all hours of the night. It would be a circus. And while it would be entertaining, it would also be a logistical nightmare.
The NFL’s offseason training program already has enough limitations on practice and it leaves me wondering how the Bears would go about giving Williams *AND* Fields enough reps to fully flesh out an honest-to-goodness quarterback competition. That alone should give us pause to seriously consider this option. Over the years, Chicago’s football team has had enough issues evaluating the quarterback position when given a starter a full set of reps. Splitting the reps between the two quarterbacks would ideally help us solve the problem, but it creates its own set of issues in the process. Even still … I give JP points for creativity.
The Nuclear Option
I see your idea of pitting Caleb Williams versus Justin Fields in a head-to-head battle for the right to be the Bears’ long-term solution at quarterback. But let me raise you one: Have the Bears draft USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, then let the top two quarterback prospects of this class duke it out for quarterbacking supremacy. Heck, throw in Fields for a three-way battle royal that would make Vince McMahon blush.
I’ll admit this is an absurd idea to submit for an NFL team. But it is something we see on a yearly basis at the collegiate level. With as much as the NFL takes away from college football, it is somewhat surprising that no enterprising franchise has considered breaking the mold and being the first to have a high-profile in-house quarterback competition. Then again, NFL coaches go into job preservation mode so quickly that something like this would never get off the ground. But perhaps that makes the Bears the perfect franchise for this.
After all, they’ve been doing what they consider to be normal for decades and it hasn’t worked. Maybe it’s time to try something weird. Not “hiring Marc Trestman” weird. A few notches below that would be my preferred levels of weird.