When the Chicago Bears wound up with the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the decision was easy: select Caleb Williams. The USC star was one of the highest-graded quarterbacks to enter the NFL in recent years. The effortless forthcoming decision during the 2024 offseason allowed the Bears to trade Justin Fields to the Steelers.
Now Bears fans could be wondering if their team made the right decision.
Williams is an outstanding talent, but with Chicago's struggles this season, perhaps a redshirt rookie year for the now 23-year-old quarterback would have been the way to go. The Bears are on an eight-game losing streak with Williams at the helm as the offense has scored a dismal 14.75 points per game over this stretch.
In comparison, Justin Fields' earned a 5-3 record in his final eight games with the Bears last season while his offense averaged a respectable 24.5 points per game.
Bears last 8 games with healthy Justin Fields:
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) December 17, 2024
• 5-3 record
• 24.5 points per game
Bears last 8 games with Caleb Williams:
• 0-8 record
• 14.75 points per game
& y’all really tried to blame Justin Fields.
It's far too early to question whether taking Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick was the correct choice. These things take time to play out and most franchise quarterbacks don't prove to be among the best in the league at their position as rookies.
At the same time, Chicago's front office should regret the decision to trade Fields to the Steelers during the 2024 offseason.
Justin Fields would have given the Bears a better chance in 2024
For the Steelers, trading a sixth-round pick for a 25-year-old dual-threat quarterback was an easy decision — even with Russell Wilson already on the roster. Fields have unmatched athletic traits at the quarterback position and a live arm.
In Pittsburgh, Fields earned a respectable 4-2 record before Mike Tomlin made the decision to go with Wilson. During his six starts with the team, Fields recorded 10 total touchdowns to go with just one interception. The Steelers would do this trade again in a heartbeat, but the Bears would like to have this one back.
On a bad organization, it would have been wise to give Caleb Williams some time to develop before throwing him to the wolves. Allowing Justin Fields to play out the final year of his rookie contract would have been a much better decision than trading him for chump change.
Because of Fields' strong finish to the 2023 season, there were discussions about the Bears trading down, picking up extra draft capital, and building an offense around Fields, but taking the quarterback seemed too good to pass up.
Now Chicago is caught in a rut with the player they hope is the face of their franchise. The Bears' offense has been pitiful since Week 6, and their only wins came early in the season against the Titans, Rams, Panthers, and Jaguars.
Justin Fields may not be a 'franchise' quarterback, but he's at least a capable starter who could have offered a smoother QB transition in Chicago. The Bears should have major regrets about trading Fields to the Steelers for a late Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.