After a disappointing end to the 2023-2024 National Foot-
ball League (NFL) season, the Chicago Bears are tasked with one of their most important off-seasons decisions in franchise history- keeping current starting quarterback Justin Fields or drafting a “generational talent” quarterback in Caleb Williams.

The Bears ended the 2023-2024 season with a 7-9 record placing fourth in the National Football
Conference (NFC) North division. With that, they obtained the ninth overall pick in this
upcoming NFL draft and also the first overall pick from the Carolina Panthers because of a trade last year. In addition to two top ten draft picks, the Bears have the fifth most cap space in the NFL at $67 million.

General Manager Ryan Poles has to decide the quarterback position: whether to stick with Fields or draft Williams. Fields was the Bears eleventh overall draft pick in 2021 out of The Ohio State University. In his first year, he started 10 games under Head Coach Matt Nagy, but those 10 games looked nothing but rough for Fields, throwing for only 1,870 yards and 7
touchdowns.

However Fields demonstrated some potential in his rookie year, for example in a primetime game against
the Pittsburgh Steelers where he almost pulled off a fourth quarter comeback or when he led the Bears to a 24-14 victory by passing for 209 yards against the Detroit Lions. Following Fields’ rookie year, Nagy was fired and former Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was brought to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. With Eberflus brought in, former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy was hired as an offensive coordinator in order to develop Fields’ skills. However, as two years have gone by under this regime, Fields’ tenure can be described as inconsistent. There are games where Fields looks like the next franchise quarterback, while there are games where he looks like a rookie.

That being said, many come to think that with the proper weapons surrounding Fields, he can elevate his play to the next level. This past off-season the Bears traded the No.1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver DJ Moore and a haul of draft picks. This proved to be successful for the Bears as they were lacking that true wide receiver one that is essential to a successful offense. Fields flourished throwing the ball to DJ Moore, and recording a 142.97 passer rating. This makes Bears fans wonder that if the Bears could add another true wide receiver to the roster, would Fields be unstoppable? There are options if the Bears want to go down that route, the draft. Additionally, new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron might be able to unlock the keys to a successful off-season that is tailored to Fields strengths.

Fields’ has many strengths; for example, his ability to run with the football. This skill is a unique talent that not many quarterbacks in the league have. Solidifying the offensive line and adding another reciever in either free agency or the draft could be a powerful move for the Bears.

However, another option the Bears have is moving on from Fields this season, and drafting 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Williams who many scouts, executives, and members of the media label as a “generational talent”. He played one year at the University of Oklahoma before transferring to the University of Southern California (USC) to become their starting quarterback.

During his first year at USC Williams instantly impressed, throwing for over 4,500 yards and 42 touchdowns. In this past season at USC, Williams did not play up to par with his past play. Willams threw for only about 3,600 yards and 30 touchdowns, which was significantly less than his stats from last season. Unfortunately, USC lost many games against top ranked teams resulting in many fans blaming these losses on Williams for his uncharacteristic mistakes. That being said, Williams still played smart with the football only throwing a total of 10 interceptions in his two seasons at USC. Something that is an important quality. Which quarterback is it going to come down to? Both have the potential to be longterm starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Fields’ has many distinctive talents, although struggles throwing a receiver open, causing him to hold onto the ball for too long. However, when it comes to Williams’ strengths, he has the ability to throw a receiver open, while still being able to make athletic plays with his legs. This is ultimately what makes Williams so special.

Looking at the past couple of years, the Bears drafting
Willams is the most probable outcome because of how high many executives and analysts rank him. If the Bears get
Williams and he does not pan out, nobody is going to blame Poles for drafting him. However, if the Bears do not draft Williams and he turns out to be just as good, that might cost Poles his job. Williams is the foreseeable starting quarterback for Bears. in the 2024-2025 NFL season.