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The Chicago Bears have undergone a lot of change this offseason. The Bears are figuring out a location for a new stadium and retooling their roster around new QB Caleb Williams. The team set the stage for Williams’ arrival by trading former franchise QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. A recent article from Sports Illustrated reveals what happened in the moments leading up to that trade, including what head coach Matt Eberflus said to Fields following the trade.
The Bears intended to do their homework on Caleb Williams quickly in the hopes of getting a Fields deal done as quickly as possible. However, Williams’ top 30 visit on March 6th was rescheduled. This pushed trade negotiations into the free agency period, during which QB chairs were filling up before the Bears felt comfortable pulling the trigger.
GM Ryan Poles agreed to trade Fields to the Steelers for a 2024 sixth-round pick that could become a fourth if Fields plays more than half the snaps in the 2024 season. After closing the deal, Poles drove to Eberflus’s house so the two could deliver the news to Fields together.
“We thanked him for his leadership, for the work ethic and just the man that he is, how he’s always been a wonderful guy,” Eberflus said. “I just told him, ‘Hey, I really enjoyed our relationship together the last couple years.’ I said, “That certainly doesn’t end here.’ The relationship that he and I built over the first couple years is special and no one can ever take that away from us.”
Eberflus and Poles thanked Fields for everything. Fields thanked them back for their open communication over those difficult few weeks. Poles and Eberflus then started calling team leaders to inform them the trade was coming before news broke.
Caleb Williams is set up for success in rookie year
The Bears needed to trade Justin Fields, in part, because they wasted much of his rookie deal without surrounding the young QB with a strong supporting cast. It’s reasonable to wonder what Fields could have become in Chicago if he entered the league in a situation similar to what Caleb Williams will see.
Chicago appears to have learned from the mistakes of the Fields era. Caleb Williams will be set up to succeed right away during his rookie season, though success is never guaranteed.
Williams joins a Chicago offense that boasts an impressive cast of weapons. The running back room is loaded with D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson. The receiver room features D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and rookie Rome Odunze. Tight end Cole Kmet is also a dangerous weapon in the passing game.
The Bears have also built a good, not great, offensive line that features a mix of veterans and young players and has solid depth at all positions.
Chicago’s defense has been solid for a few years now under Eberflus, so it is reasonable to expect the unit to provide at least mid-level production.
The Bears may not immediately be contenders in the NFC North, but they have set the table well around Caleb Williams. Expectations will be high for the first overall pick this fall.
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