As the NFL Combine winds down, there is a clearer picture of what Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles wants to do. However, he made a big mistake that could cost a lot.
The NFL Combine is winding down now. Teams got a close look at some of the top prospects available in the NFL Draft in April. The Chicago Bears seem in control of the first round, owning two top-ten picks, including the number one overall pick. General Manager Ryan Poles has a big decision to make and it appears he made it.
One of the other things going on at the Combine other than looking at the prospects is team officials having informal talks. Front-office personnel like Poles get to gauge what they could receive in picks or veterans they have. That is likely exactly what Poles did. There were reports that he would go to the Combine and at the end would likely have a decision as to whether he trades the top pick or trades quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields has been the starting quarterback for the past two seasons. While he showed flashes of greatness, he has not been consistent. Has he done enough to earn the right to continue as the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears? It looks as if he has not.
At the start of the Combine, Poles spoke to the media. Of course, everyone wanted to find out what he had to say. With the quarterback saga of what decisions Poles makes getting more intense each day, people wanted a clue. Every week there was something that attracted attention and scrutiny.
One week it was Fields unfollowing the Chicago Bears on his Instagram. Then, another week Peter King wrote in his last article that he felt the team would trade the pick instead of Fields. That brought out other NFL reporters to say they felt similarly.
Did Poles say something that gave people a clue?
Many people feel that Poles gave us a clue as to what he might do. At his press conference at the beginning of the Combine, reporters asked him about that right away. He gave an interesting response to the question.
If we go down that road, I want to do right by Justin… No one wants to live in gray. I know that’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation either. So, we’ll gather the information. We’ll move as quickly as possible.
People jumped on that quote and very quickly assumed that Poles and the Chicago Bears were ready to trade Fields. Last year, when asked the same question, he said he would have to be blown away to trade Fields. What he said this year was not the same. He said he would have to be blown away to trade the top pick in the draft.
From that moment on, the prevailing thought has been that Fields is all but gone. Once again, the narrative shifted. Now people are trying to figure out which team could be in the running for Fields. The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers are two of the teams most connected to Fields.
Did Poles make a mistake?
With how the NFL world reacted to what Poles said, his words could have been a big mistake. When he was quiet, the rumors ran rampant. There were all sorts of reports of different trade scenarios. The most popular trade scenarios involved a second-round pick and a mid-round pick. There were even reports that Poles was trying to hold out for a first-round pick.
If Poles is indeed leaning towards trading Fields, opening his mouth could have been a tactical error. With the feeling around the league being that he is looking to trade Fields, teams pay attention. They now know that Poles has to trade Fields. Some analysts threw the idea of the Chicago Bears keeping Fields and still picking a quarterback. That way, the rookie could sit and learn before getting the keys to the car.
That worked out well for the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes sat his rookie season behind Alex Smith. He took over in his second season and the rest is history. He is on his way to becoming the best quarterback in NFL history.
That would not work the same with the Chicago Bears. First, Smith was already 33 years old. He was not going to be in the Chiefs’ future plans. Everyone knew that, including Smith. He did a great job of mentoring Mahomes for one year. He then moved on with no problem. Fields, on the other hand, will turn just 25 in a couple of days. While he has struggled at times, he can still turn things around.
Second, Fields is very popular in the Chicago Bears locker room. Wide receiver D.J. Moore campaigned for Fields at the end of the season and continues to do so now. Other players have shown their support for Fields as well. Having a rookie quarterback step in and have it be known that he is the replacement could cause dissension in the locker room.
Some people might bring up the Green Bay Packers and their quarterback situation on two occasions. They drafted Aaron Rodgers while having Brett Favre. They then drafted Jordan Love while still having Rodgers. However, the situation there is different from the Chicago Bears. The Packers had two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the twilight of their careers.
Now that teams feel comfortable knowing Fields is on the trading block, they could play hardball. Fields’ value will of course drop. A team that might have thought about trading a first-round pick might now lower their offer to a third or maybe even a fourth-round pick. Even worse, teams could hold out long enough that the Chicago Bears could end up releasing Fields and getting nothing in return.
That last option is very unlikely, though. Poles would never let it get to that point. The Chicago Bears would definitely have to get something in return. However, if he is trading Fields, the asking price now may have to drop because of what he said.
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