Bears GM reveals ultimate deciding factor in moving off Justin Fields for Caleb Williams
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has given a brutal assessment of why they moved on from Justin Fields and decided to draft Caleb Williams with the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. To recap, they had a young quarterback who could have been the face of the franchise for years to come. They also had the first overall pick, which they could have traded away to get more picks to build around an established NFL quarterback.
Instead, they went for a rookie and traded away Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the reason according to their general manager is that even though their previous quarterback was a good player with whom one could win games, they needed a quarterback who was the reason they won matches. And Poles believes Caleb Williams is that person. He called their new star:
“... a QB you win because of.”
Former GM had similar words for Justin Fields when he was drafted just as current GM bigs up Caleb Williams
Just as before Caleb Williams there was Justin Fields, there was Ryan Pace before Ryan Poles as the Chicago Bears general manager. Pace was the one who drafted Fields. He made a big trade to go up in the draft and snag the quarterback he wanted. At the time, the former Bears general manager had said of his acquisition:
"It's the arm talent, it's the accuracy, it's the athleticism. When you see a guy with that kind of arm talent, with that kind of quarterback makeup that he has, with that kind of work ethic that he has, that's played in really big games and really big moments and performed in big moments... And you just love that about him. Oh, and then by the way, he runs a 4.44. You throw all that in together and it just feels good."
Justin Fields was supposed to be the replacement for another quarterback taken in the first round who did not quite turn out the way they expected, Mitch Trubisky. And the general manager who drafted him had given him his full backing.
In many ways, it looks like the same situation that Caleb Williams is facing now. The rookie will know that he is highly rated but that the quarterback he is replacing trod a similar path to his and did not come out and establish himself as the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears. The NFL can be an unforgiving place.