Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles had no "master plan" to reveal upon arriving at the NFL scouting combine as the franchise's path forward at quarterback remains fluid.
For the second straight offseason, the Bears own the No. 1 pick in the draft—plus this year's ninth-overall selection—and have to weigh roughly "100 different scenarios" currently under discussion. Among them is what to do with Justin Fields. Poles was candid that the 24-year-old could soon be traded if Chicago steers in the direction of drafting a QB (such as consensus top prospect Caleb Williams). The Bears GM, entering year No. 3 on the job, stood in front of the microphone during his annual combine press conference in Indianapolis Tuesday and quipped he would love to know his team's direction by "tomorrow."
But that wasn't entirely an exaggeration.
"No, I would love to know as soon as possible," Poles said. "I would love to know, but I know that's not how the process works. Sure, before free agency would be good. Like I said...if we were to do something with Justin, I want to do right by him. And I know, again, living in that gray space, we would want to do something sooner rather than later."
Fields made clear last week his desire to get out of quarterback limbo. The former first-round pick, who just wrapped up his third NFL season, said he "of course" wants to stay in Chicago, though understands it's not up to him. Poles admitted "how uncomfortable" the situation is for the QB, and noted communication between the two sides will be ongoing. But as Chicago's future becomes more clear, potentially very soon, what could Fields' hold?
Should the Bears opt to take a QB at No. 1 (or gauge interest in the top pick, trade down and draft a different quarterback, who knows), Spotrac suggested Poles could recoup a second-rounder, plus a pair of Day 3 picks, by trading Fields—in line with the starting point floated this offseason.
As for which teams could be interested, here's a look at five potential fits.
Atlanta Falcons
No, this doesn't have to do with the silly "Fields follows Falcons players on Instagram" story that the QB fact-checked on the St. Brown Bros podcast last week. But the Falcons have long been among the expected favorites to land Fields if the Bears are ready to move on.
Atlanta's new coach, Raheem Morris, was blunt Tuesday when he said "If we had better QB play last year in Atlanta I might not be standing here." And he's not wrong. The Falcons can't move into next season with Desmond Ridder as the starter under center, and bringing Fields back to his home state may make too much sense not to happen. Speaking with the St. Brown brothers, Fields lauded Atlanta's skill players—and the rushing capabilities of a playmaking Fields-Bijan Robinson backfield would certainly be something to see.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers ranked 28th in the league in scoring last season, and shortly after a playoff defeat head coach Mike Tomlin assured everyone "there will be competition" for the team's starting QB job in 2024. Whether that competition is solely between longtime backup Mason Rudolph and so-far underwhelming 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett remains to be seen.
Pittsburgh is one of three teams, along with Atlanta and the next team on the list, that USA Today reported this week has expressed interest in Fields. A large portion of combine week is dedicated to meeting with prospects, sure—like Chicago's upcoming chats with Williams and other top prospects for instance—but the event also serves as a behind-the-scenes opportunity for teams gathered in the same city to go back-and-forth. Perhaps the Steelers, new OC Arthur Smith's run-first mentality and all, emerge as a strong contender for the dual-threat QB as the week moves along and the franchise tries to set itself up for a playoff return (maybe with a few more points scored along the way).
Las Vegas Raiders
And now the third team to recently be linked to Fields—one with a familiar face high up on its staff. Now-permanent Raiders coach Antonio Pierce (after a Kliff Kingsbury conundrum) hired recently fired Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in Las Vegas. Plus, assistant GM Champ Kelly was part of the front office that drafted Fields in 2021. What could that mean?
Results were middling with a Getsy-Fields combo over their two years together in Chicago (33/20 TD-INT ratio, 85.8 passer rating, etc.) though trade interest could suggest Getsy and Kelly still think highly of the QB, and perhaps a reunion could be in order. The Raiders, even before a two-game suspension, seemed inclined to move on from last year's offseason acquisition Jimmy Garoppolo. That leaves Aidan O'Connell coming off a mixed rookie season as the leader in the QB room. Not exactly ideal.
New England Patriots
In their first season of the post-Bill Belichick era, the Patriots—owners of the No. 3 pick in the draft—are also faced with the possibility of taking a high-end QB in April. But should new coach Jerod Mayo and a reworked front office decide to trade down, or take a highly touted non-QB like Marvin Harrison Jr., who will be throwing the football in New England this year?
Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe would be an underwhelming answer. And while a top free agent like Kirk Cousins (in a thin QB free agency class) may entertain a team seemingly somewhat close to contention like the Falcons, going to the rebuilding Patriots seems like a stretch.
In other words, keep Fields in mind as at the very least a possibility.
Los Angeles Rams
OK, this one is not as obvious as the other QB-needy suggestions (another of those teams, for example, is the Minnesota Vikings if Cousins doesn't resign, but the Bears wouldn't deal Fields into the division). But while the hypotheticals are being dealt out, maybe it's best for the former 1,000-yard rusher to take a seat in 2024.
The Rams are never shy about sending away draft picks with reckless abandon, and maybe the latest swap of assets for the team brings in a QB of the future to stash behind 36-year-old Matthew Stafford for the time being. Let Fields develop further under the tutelage of offensive guru Sean McVay, and if Stafford is close to stepping away any time soon, be prepared with a player who has already shown flashes of game-breaking play as an NFL starter. Sure, another NFC South team, the Seattle Seahawks, could be in more pressing need of a QB, depending on how the franchise feels about Geno Smith moving forward. And Fields being acquired as a backup may be a stretch. But that's what the NFL offseason (at least at this point) is all about.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robert Read is a Sports Reporter at Newsweek based in Florida. He previously spent four years working at The Daily ... Read more
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