Charting the Chicago Bears quarterback options after Wednesday's press conference

CHICAGO, Ill. - As the Chicago Bears embark into the offseason, the focus will have to shift to the quarterback, and heavily.

On Wednesday, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles was asked about the quarterback situation. The third-year general manager didn’t punt a response.

He did acknowledge that having the No. 1 overall selection means taking a quarterback is on the table.

"We are going to turn over every stone to make sure that we make a sound decision for our organization. I did think Justin got better," Fields said. "He can lead this team. But at the same time, there’s a unique situation where I have to look at everything."

This kickstarts an offseason where the Bears’ quarterback position is, yet again, one the primary decision that needs to be addressed.

Based on what Poles said Wednesday, there are a few potential outcomes the Bears could be looking at this April.

Keep Justin Fields

First and foremost, the team acknowledged he already has quarterback talent on his roster.

"We love where Justin is right now," Eberflus said. "He’ll continue to grow as we grow this football team."

Fields did grow in his second season under Eberflus. They don’t place the blame solely at his feet as evidenced by Eberflus deciding to clean out majority of the offensive staff, specifically in the firing of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

The players also adore Fields. Star receiver DJ Moore had a career year in just one year with Fields and continuously sang his praises all season long. That’s not lost on Poles, but that can’t be a deciding factor.

"You have to separate it, but I absolutely love it," Poles said. "I want them to believe in that player they have at the quarterback position. I want them to believe in the person to the right and to the left, so I absolutely love that. With any decision, I got to take the emotion out of it and look at the whole deal there."

Based on how highly Poles and Eberflus spoke of Fields’ growth in 2023, his return to the starting lineup in 2024 is certainly possible.

Draft a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft

In 2023, there wasn’t an overarching feeling the Bears would move on from Justin Fields. That idea was nixed when the Bears traded the No. 1 overall selection to the Panthers in March.

This year, the possibility is much more plausible for a few reasons.

The first reason is the incoming offensive coordinator; this new hire will probably have at least some input as the highest-ranking offensive mind in the building considering Eberflus’ background as a defensive coach.

The second is, while the talent is undeniable, Fields’ inconsistency and fourth-quarter struggles have led to losses.

The bottom line is Fields hasn’t done enough to solidify himself as the starter in his fourth year. If he had, Poles and Eberflus would have said as much Wednesday.

Poles said his mindset is the same as last year. He needs to be blown away by a draft prospect in order to move on from Fields. 

The 2024 NFL Draft will include USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye, both of whom are widely considered to be better prospects than Bryce Young and CJ Stroud were last year. That could very well be the case.

"It’s the same set up. I’ll have the same mindset," Poles said. "There’s a whole process here we need to figure out. I got to weigh all of those things."

Keep Just Fields… and draft a quarterback?

Hear us out. This isn’t that farfetched of an idea. 

Could the Bears actually keep Justin Fields and draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft? Ryan Poles didn’t dismiss it.

"My brain has gone crazy all year just thinking about the million different scenarios," he said.  "I’m sure that’s one of them."

This option seems unlikely just because it rarely happens with such a high draft selection.

The Green Bay Packers did it with Jordan Love, selecting him with the 24th overall selection in 2020 to sit behind Aaron Rodgers. Love sat for three seasons before taking over the starting job this year.

The sample size may be small, but the then-San Diego Chargers made this move in 2004, selecting Eli Manning No. 1 overall before trading Manning to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers. The Chargers still had Drew Brees, who led the franchise to a 12-4 record in 2004.

Brees started for two more seasons in San Diego before the Chargers moved on to Rivers and Brees signed with the New Orleans Saints.

It’s an unorthodox move and seldom done in the NFL, but it’s one the Bears can entertain with the potential to have two talented quarterbacks. 

"I’ll just stay very wide open with the different paths that we go," Poles said.