Multiple Insiders Confirm Ryan Poles’ Updated Plans For Justin Fields
For the past month or so, the general feeling was the Chicago Bears had made their decision on Justin Fields. They would trade the former 1st round pick and focus on taking a quarterback #1 overall. It was hoped GM Ryan Poles could find a new home for the quarterbacks before the start of free agency. This would allow the Bears to focus their efforts on QB evaluations and also do Fields a favor by getting him settled in a new home as quickly as possible. However, it appears the market isn’t cooperating.
Albert Breer of the MMQB provided an update on the situation. While Poles would still prefer to get something worked out before free agency opens in less than two weeks, it appears he may have to wait for other situations to get settled first.
In an ideal world, the Bears would be able to go through a complete process in assessing this year’s quarterback class before deciding what to do with Justin Fields. Alas, the world Chicago is living in now isn’t such an ideal one. Simply put, it’s not practical for Chicago to wait until mid-April, when the spots available for veteran quarterbacks across the league have filled up, to deal off Fields.
It wouldn’t allow for the Bears to maximize Fields’s value. It also wouldn’t be doing right by Fields, which is what Chicago GM Ryan Poles told the media he wants to do…
…For now, though, while Poles has positioned the Bears to trade Fields in the coming days, he’s also open to waiting a bit if it takes time for the QB market, with Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield as headliners, to develop. The key is the team has flexibility; Chicago will be realistic in finding the right return for the 11th pick in the 2021 draft. It’s probably not getting a first-rounder, and it hasn’t been working off any assumption that it will be. Instead, they Bears have looked at historical data points as models.
Breer got support from another insider.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has hinted for weeks the Bears would move on from Fields. It was only a matter of time. While some believe there is a sense of urgency for Poles to get something done, that isn’t what Biggs has heard. If anything, it’s the opposite. The Bears’ general manager seems fully prepared to wait things out.
By the end of the week, multiple sources I spoke with suggested Poles was really at ease, with one talking about a golf simulator he had set up in his hotel suite. The message they delivered was Poles didn’t strike them as an executive who was feeling any pressure to hammer out a deal. Two sources wondered aloud if he had the bones of a deal in place. Maybe. Maybe not.
Ryan Poles will trade Fields, but not until he gets the best offer.
Right now, teams aren’t keen on being aggressive because they have hope there is a chance to sign one of the top free agents. The fates of Cousins and Mayfield remain unclear. Tampa Bay managed to re-sign wide receiver Mike Evans on Monday. This gives them enough time to focus on retaining Mayfield, which many believe is still the likeliest outcome. Cousins is less certain. Minnesota may still try to keep him, but the franchise tag is out of the question. If he hits the market, there will be plenty of takers.
Atlanta and Pittsburgh expect to be involved, and they’re two teams viewed as primary contenders for Fields. Ryan Poles will wait until that situation plays out. Once done, those who failed the sweepstakes will be left with a choice. Either they take their chances in the draft, or they pivot to Fields. That is when the market should start heating up. While Fields himself may not like having to wait, the fact remains this is a business. Poles holds the responsibility of getting everything he possibly can for the quarterback.