NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears released a statement from General Manager Ryan Poles when the Justin Fields trade went down.
But you knew there was going to be more to it than just a few sentences on a graphic. And today, more came.
Poles met the media at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Florida on Monday. During the conversation with the folks on the beat, Poles gave his rationale on the Fields trade:
“Just in terms of the game, I feel like he was making strides and improving,” Poles said, via the Chicago Tribune. “The problem is, and that’s what I try to explain, it wasn’t Justin versus one of these rookies. It’s really the timeline and how much runway you have. To get a guy up off the ground, you need to support them with as much talent as possible. And then that flips because then they take so much cap space, which is a good thing if you get to that point. But then they have to be the reason you start winning. Then it’s harder to add the talent around them.”
There you have it! Straight from the Chicago Bears general manager. It was never about making a decision about one player or another. Instead, it was a bigger-picture decision that took into consideration competitive timelines, roster-building aspects, and cap considerations. We should take this as a reminder that it is never as black and white as some might want us to believe.
I’m glad Poles gave this explanation with detail because it helps drive home that this wasn’t a senseless decision. Instead, it was a decision came after discussion and exploration of other paths.
Ryan Poles closes the door on the Justin Fields trade
One thing I think needs to be clear in all of this is that the Bears did weigh the option of keeping Justin Fields for another season. Per Kane, Poles said the Bears had “deep conversations” about keeping Fields and also drafting a quarterback. In other words, the team did entertain the idea of drafting a signal caller who sits behind Fields before taking over. After staff-led research that included the dividing of reps, locker room consideration, and other factors, the high-profile apprenticeship plan didn’t come to fruition. I never truly expected it would, but I appreciate the Bears actually doing their due diligence on that front.
After all, we’ve seen what it looks like when a GM blindly goes all-in on their top option. And we know how problematic it can be.
Poles also said trading Justin Fields was “one of the harder things I’ve had to do.” The Bears GM added there were other trade opportunities for Fields. He didn’t name any names, but mentioned it was in situations where a veteran or a younger player were already under a big contract. By sending Fields to Pittsburgh, Poles gives Fields a fighting chance to continue his development while also possibly playing his way into a starting job.
In the end, I’m rooting for Fields to win a starting job. Not just because I enjoy rooting for the player, but also because of the Bears ramifications. That sixth-round pick the Pittsburgh Steelers are sending to Chicago in the Fields trade could become a fourth-rounder. All Fields has to do is play 51 percent of the offensive snaps to make it happen. So if Fields enters the starting lineup (for any reason) for any considerable amount of time, there is a non-zero chance this pick gets an upgrade. Gosh, I want Fields to out-play Russell Wilson so badly — and for more reasons than one.
I don’t think any of us are becoming die-hard Steelers fans overnight. We’ve been through to much as Bears fans to just dump them out of the blue. But if ever there was a time to pick a secondary rooting interest, this seems to be it.
