By: Calla Fragassi

The arguably biggest debate in the Bears community and the NFL as a whole: Was Justin Fields the one? Or did the Bears make the right decision by trading him to then draft Caleb Williams.

There are many different factors that go into this decision. For starters, what do the Bears players want? The locker room is in favor of keeping Fields based on recent reports from different sport news outlets stating that the team wants Justin Fields as their QB1. One anonymous veteran staunchly announced his criticism if the Bears do indeed move on from Fields:

“It’s like, if you get rid of him (Fields), what are we doing?” 

Cited from nbcsportschicago.com

It’s evident that Fields has made an impact on the Chicago Bears team and its fans, while proving to be a leader both on and off the field. 

The Bears had a lot of reasons to keep Fields. He’s young, 24 years old and entering his 4th year in the NFL. He’s also one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the league, as well as being a strong and fast runner.

Although his time in Chicago hasn’t been filled with the most wins, his playing wasn’t the true root of the problem. With a mediocre wide receivers and a poor offensive line, Fields shouldn’t take all the blame. While he may partially be at fault (just like everyone else on the team), he isn’t what’s holding them back.

The Bears game was strong in their last 6ish game stretch, with big wins against the Lions and the Vikings. Unfortunately, these flashes of good quarterback play for a guy in his 3rd year calls for some concern and questions about how high his skill level really is. 

Another main part of this decision is the uncertainty that comes with drafting a quarterback. Drafting Caleb Williams comes with the risk of not knowing how his skills may potentially pan out in the NFL. While it is likely that he’ll be successful, there have been many instances in the past of No.1 picks not being what they were sold to be.

So, with all that being said, why did the Bears get rid of Fields? Well the short answer is, he just hasn’t been producing like he’s expected to. With constant losing seasons, Bears fans want to pin the blame on someone and it’s hard to believe that Fields isn’t the problem.

Williams capped off his college football career with a bang. He threw for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns while only having 10 interceptions in his past 2 seasons at USC, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. His potential was just too good to pass on. Williams is also the cheaper option, and putting him on a rookie contract would save them the big pay day they owe to Justin Fields if he wasn’t traded, especially with recent quarterback contracts consisting of $40million a year.

All in all, Caleb Williams is a rare talent and potential franchise quarterback that just might be the missing piece for the Bears.

The Bear’s decision to trade Fields came with mixed emotions. Some were upset and truly did believe he was the QB1 the Bears needed. Some were happy and excited for a new and very talented QB.

Regardless of how Bears fans felt about the trade, it certainly wasn’t what people were expecting. Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 16 to be the backup quarterback to Russel Wilson. Most people definitely did believe that Fields was deserving of a starter spot, but just not for the Bears. Chicago received a 2025 conditional 6th round pick that can become a fourth rounder if he plays more than half of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps this season. So essentially, the Steelers won this trade. The Bears are set to draft Caleb Williams on April 25th.