After 38 career starts in three seasons, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is unsure about his future, particularly whether he will still be starting quarterback for the team that selects first overall in the offseason in 2024.
Fields remarked, “That decision is not in my hands.” “What I did is all that I can manage. I put everything into it. I don’t regret it, whether it’s here or not.”
Should Sunday’s 17-9 season-ending defeat to the Green Bay Packers prove to be Fields’ final encounter with the Bears, the quarterback made a preemptive farewell to the franchise that selected him 11th overall in the 2021 selection.
“To the city of Chicago, love y’all,” he declared. “Appreciate the fans and the support from all the Bears, you know, and in case this is my last rodeo with y’all, appreciate y’all for everything.”
For the second year in a row, the Bears will select the first selection in the draft and will have to decide in the upcoming months whether to select a rookie quarterback or to stay with Fields.
General manager Ryan Poles stated on ESPN 1000 on Sunday afternoon, “We’re working from a position of strength and just going to continue to keep an open mind and look at all options.” “I’m excited for that opportunity.”
Chicago has now lost to their oldest foe 11 times in a row at Lambeau Field. Since taking over as the Bears’ starting quarterback three years ago, Fields has never defeated the Packers. He finished the season with 11 completions for 148 yards against a Green Bay club that used Chicago to secure a postseason berth.
One factor in the offense’s troubles was injuries. In addition to losing right guard Nate Davis in the first half, the Bears were without starting centre Lucas Patrick, who was placed on injured reserve over the weekend. On 12 of his 24 dropbacks, Fields saw pressure, completing 2 of 5 passes for 43 yards and taking 5 sacks. Aside from the Week 6 loss against Minnesota, when he had to leave early due to a thumb injury, it was his second-lowest passing production of the season.
The offence in Chicago has had trouble transferring its home-court advantage to away venues, such as the chilly Lambeau Field. Kicker Cairo Santos scored the only points for the Bears in Green Bay, setting a franchise record with 35 made field goals in a single season. In the last three away games, the Bears have only managed one offensive touchdown.
In a trade package for last year’s No. 1 pick, Chicago acquired DJ Moore, a star player, via Carolina. Moore ended with a team-high 4 catches for 64 yards. The wide receiver had a career-best season, but the passing attack is lacking as Chicago starts to assess the issues with its offence, including the future of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
“Obviously when you’re looking at the numbers, I would say that it didn’t [improve enough] because we’re at the bottom third of the league,” Matt Eberflus, our coach, said. “I believe the last time was on July 27. That obviously needs to become better. Our skill guys are the ones who run the passing attack, am I right? Cole is the one [Kmet]. Both DJ and Cole had excellent seasons. We’re quite happy about that, and Justin gave us some excellent shots down the pitch. This year, he formed some solid relationships with DJ and Cole; we just need to keep strengthening those.”
Fields, who is waiting on the Bears to make a quarterback decision, will bring what he called “tremendous” development into the offseason after recovering from an injury in Week 11. On Monday, starting at 7 a.m. CT, players will have 10-minute exit interviews with Poles and Eberflus.
Fields expressed that it “would mean a lot” if the Bears decide to extend his contract for a fourth year.
The quarterback remarked, “I have a pretty good relationship with Ryan and the guys upstairs.” “In the end, this is a commercial endeavour. They must make the difficult choices. All I have to do is go out there and give it my all. Receiving that affirmation from them would be really meaningful and would essentially convey that they believe I can guide this team and play quarterback.”
In the interim, Eberflus’s future is still up for debate. The Bears coach stated he will meet with ownership in the middle of the week, but he did not clarify if he has received any guarantees regarding his employment beyond the 2023 campaign.
“I do know this, that the foundation has been set, the standards are set how we operate,” Eberflus stated. “Yes, I am aware of that. I am also familiar with the changing room. We also stand on firm footing. We’re just going to keep working together to grow this thing, putting in a lot of effort and showing our excitement and passion for the game.”
The Bears finished with a 7-10 record, more than doubling their victory total from Eberflus’ first season after winning five of their last eight games. Fields, Poles, and team president/CEO Kevin Warren will need to decide whether to keep or let rid of Eberflus before Chicago can decide on Fields.
In his pregame radio appearance on Sunday, Poles gave Eberflus a vote of confidence, just as he had earlier in the season.
“You can go back to the original press conference and things that I was looking for,” Poles said. “At certain points, the seas get rough, so one needs leadership, mental toughness, and a steady hand to truly captain the ship.” He remained stable behind the wheel despite the abrupt transition that occurred last year and early this year.
He struggled to return above the surface and restore order to the situation. I believe a lot of people would have cracked under pressure and been in really poor shape if he hadn’t been able to adjust and truly take the players’ input to get this thing on the correct path. Under pressure, he improved, and our football squad did too.”
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