Could the Chicago Bears go for someone other than Justin Fields or Caleb Williams?
The Chicago Bears face some big decisions this offseason. General manager Ryan Poles is in Year 3 of his rebuild. The expectation now is for the team to make it into the playoffs. Poles followed the Theo Epstein blueprint of rebuilding. He tore everything down and had to take a tough season with basically JV players.
Last offseason, Poles had the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Additionally, he had over $100 million in salary cap to work with. He filled many holes via free agency and traded the top pick for a massive haul. He received picks that he turned into offensive lineman Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, both of whom had productive rookie seasons.
Poles was also able to pick up this year's number one pick in addition to the ninth pick. Add to that the nearly $70 million in cap space, and the Chicago Bears are ready to have a huge offseason.
The biggest question for Poles and the Bears is what to do at quarterback. While Justin Fields is the starter, this draft class is deep at quarterback. The head of that class is USC quarterback Caleb Williams. There are many who consider him a generational talent. They feel it would be crazy for Poles to walk away from him.
The intense debate with the Chicago Bears is whether to draft Caleb Williams or build around Justin Fields. What if the team goes with another quarterback?
The "Team Fields" and "Team Williams" has been so intense that it caused a chasm within the fanbase. Each side is entrenched and is very much against the other side. It has gotten so bad that even Fields said he unfollowed both the Chicago Bears and the NFL because he was tired of seeing all the posts about him and Williams.
With all the intense debate among Bears and NFL fans, what if Poles pulls a fast one? While many feel that Williams is an elite talent and the Bears should choose him, there are quite a few who do not feel that way. They feel that Williams is not worthy of the number one pick. There are other quarterbacks they would select.