Ryan Poles holds the final say on what happens with Justin Fields. His opinion is the one that matters. If the Chicago Bears GM wants to move on, he will do so. If he wants to keep the 24-year-old, he’ll do that. However, don’t think for a second the opinions of others inside Halas Hall won’t be considered. Teammates have already made it clear where they stand. They’ve been championing Fields for weeks, believing he is the leader and playmaker they need to chart this organization on the right path. Not a huge surprise. Players often stick up for each other, and Fields’ leadership is well-known.
Then there are the coaches. Remember, Matt Eberflus and his staff had no say in drafting Fields. They inherited him from Matt Nagy’s crew in 2022. One can understand if Eberflus and others would prefer to move on, opting for a QB that fits their personal preferences for the position. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The whispers out of Halas Hall are that coaches love the talent and person Fields is, as well as the progress he’s made since last season.
They feel everything is coming together.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy or quick,” a team source said. “It was always going to be a process and going to be hard. So these things will happen along the way. It was an issue in the building for about 10 minutes and then it was gone.”
That ability to adjust has endeared Fields to people inside the building. As one coaching source said, Fields works hard to correct missed opportunities pointed out on film, such as failing to anticipate a zone-coverage window or a developing deep-ball route.
The film work culminated in one of his best performances as a pro Sunday against Atlanta, with 313 total yards, two touchdowns and a 99.5 passer rating to defeat the Falcons by 20 points.
“This is a high-ceiling player — there’s much more he can tap into,” the coaching source said.
Justin Fields has won over lots of key people.
He’s 4-1 in his last five games, accounting for over 1300 total yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. Two of those interceptions weren’t really his fault, having come on Hail Mary attempts. So, he has played much more efficiently down the stretch. This includes beating the division champion Detroit Lions, an Arizona Cardinals team that just beat the NFC champion Eagles, and an Atlanta Falcons team still in the playoff hunt. If not for a dropped pass vs. Cleveland, he’d be 5-0. He now has a chance to finally slay the dragon this weekend in Green Bay.
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Beating the Packers would likely be the decisive moment that ensures Justin Fields returns in 2024. Many insiders still believe Poles plans to move on. Passing on a quarterback at #1 overall once is gutsy. Doing it twice is almost impossible. Nobody has the stones to do that. This incoming class appears far stronger at the position than in 2023. There is bound to be one guy in the group Poles loves. Still, the opinions of players and coaches in the locker room might sway him.
