Bears GM opens up about trading Justin Fields to Steelers

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles spoke with media members at the owners meetings on Monday morning and admitted that trading quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers was "one of the harder things I've had to do" in the job. 

"I always kind of touch on the empathy part, like having that conversation with my own son was hard," Poles explained, as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website and The Athletic. "His jersey's up in his room. So, it kind of puts that into perspective of how difficult those moves are."

Experts continue to predict that the Bears will make USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. It now appears rumblings suggesting Poles and company didn't want Williams and Fields sharing a quarterback room for any amount of time were accurate, as the 2021 first-round draft choice was given a fresh start over a month before this year's draft gets underway on April 25. 

"It’s really the timeline and how much runway you have," Poles said about the Fields deal. "To get a guy up off the ground, you need to support them with as much talent as possible. Then that fits. It takes so much cap space, which is a good thing if you get to that point. But they have to be the reason you start winning. Then it’s harder to add the talent around them. You can look around the league, and it happens a lot. The teams that can sustain success through that period I think do a really special job." 

While some have hinted that alleged red flags regarding Williams' personality are hovering over his status this spring, it's believed he's only impressed individuals within the Bears during pre-draft interactions. Poles addressed the subject on Monday morning. 

"When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him," Poles said about Williams. "His leadership, how he brings people together. He’s intentional with his leadership. Same goes with the staff. I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him." 

Every sign points to the fact that the Bears grabbing Williams at No. 1 in the draft is now merely a formality. Whether or not Fields will prove his former club made a mistake years down the road shall be seen, but the Bears clearly have already moved on to their next QB1.