The Chicago Bears have a big decision to make at their quarterback position this spring, but a complicating factor could be the market surrounding Justin Fields.
The Bears have to decide whether to keep Fields or to draft a quarterback in April’s NFL Draft, with USC’s Caleb Williams the most likely candidate for that selection.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, visiting with the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, said that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the Bears end up drafting Williams, but said that the reception around the NFL toward Fields’ availability hasn’t been as enticing as the Bears thought.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“I don’t think the market for him is as robust as the Bears and he had thought,” he said. “They talked about hoping to move on from him if they’re comfortable with a quarterback in this draft by the start of free agency.”
That Monday date is when the NFL’s so-called “legal tampering” period begins, with teams able to start negotiations with pending free agents. Numerous teams that are potentially interested in Fields could be looking to other candidates as well, with Schefter and others reporting that the Atlanta Falcons are among those interested in Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Other teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders, could also reportedly look elsewhere for quarterbacks, leaving Schefter to say that the Bears may have to wait for other situations to play out before dealing Fields.
NFL
“The Bears had hoped…to place Justin early in the process,” he said. “I’ll be curious to see if they can get a deal done and in place by next Monday, or if they have to wait for some other quarterback moves to shake out before that can take place.”