The decisions the Bears will make this offseason will likely hold insurmountable weight on the future of the organization and its potential success.
Whether or not the Bears decide to retain Justin Fields and Matt Eberflus will substantially affect the direction of the team. According to Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, however, those decisions have not been made at Halas Hall.
"I don't think a decision has been made. I think it's a week-to-week (evaluation)," Schultz said on Speak Live.
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Why does Schultz believe a decision hasn't been made yet?
"Kevin Warren didn't hire Matt Eberflus," Schultz said. "And Justin Fields is only going into Year 4 next year so you can get him at a pretty reasonable number in Years 4 and 5."
It's no surprise a decision hasn't been made on the futures of both Fields and Eberflus at this point. The focus of an organization will always be on what remains on its plate now. The Bears still have three games to play; they're not to the point of making organization-altering decisions right now. Remember, they've never fired a head coach in the middle of a season, either.
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That being said, speculation exists that both Fields and Eberflus' futures hang in the balance with the Bears. For the former, it's well known his play hasn't lifted the Bears to the team they aspire to be. They currently sit 5-9 with their playoff hopes nearly down the drain.
As for Eberflus, there is a litany of reasons why this could be his last season. From Alan Williams' untimely departure, the Chase Claypool debacle and the firing of running backs coach David Walker, Eberflus' second year hasn't been that of a typical, solidified NFL coach.
Bears players, despite questions about their quarterback's future, remain by his side.
"Justin is the quarterback of the future," wide receiver Darnell Mooney said after the loss. "He's the franchise quarterback. He's been balling. I don't understand why it's anymore questions. Obviously, we have the [projected No. 1 pick] because of Carolina right now, but Justin is a dog. If he's not here, he'll be somewhere else balling. I'm not the guy that makes those decisions, but Justin is dog. Wherever he may be, if it's not here, he's still going to ball."
Star wide receiver DJ Moore has already made his feelings about Fields clear. When asked a few weeks ago about Fields' future, Moore seemed shocked it was even a question. When Cleveland media broached the subject with Moore, he bristled at the question.
"I don't know," Moore said when asked why people question Fields' future in Chicago. "Y'all asked me that last week. I'm still like, 'Bruh, where are y'all seeing this? What makes him not the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears right now?'
"I get y'all got everybody coming out. What, there's like two of them? I don't think [Caleb Williams and Drake Maye] are better than Justin."
That belief spreads to the defensive side of the ball, too. Jaylon Johnson has expressed his belief in Fields clearly and often.
"We're only going to gel closer together," Johnson said. "We're only going to defend him. We're only going to pump him up. We're only going to put what we have into him because he's our guy. He's the guy in the locker room. He's the guy that makes plays. He's the guy that leads us. He's the guy that takes everything on him."
As for Eberflus, his superior --- general manager Ryan Poles --- issued a vote of confidence in the second-year head coach earlier this season. And it didn't sound like the typical smoke. It appeared to be sincere.
“What I see every day, where I see him address the team and I see his approach through adversity, it is stable, man,” Poles said earlier this season. “I know in the outside world it doesn’t look like that, and I know it looks like we’re far away, but this dude comes in every day and just keeps chipping away. He has high integrity.
“What I see from him on a daily basis and how he gets this team ready on a weekly basis, to me, I see a grown man that has leadership skills to get this thing out of the hole and into where it needs to be.”
Is Poles' sentiment shared with Kevin Warren? That question will be answered this offseason.