Getty Quarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears just made three considerable coaching decisions that offer a major hint at quarterback Justin Fields‘ future with the organization.
On Wednesday, January 10, the team announced the firings of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, along with the departures of several other offensive position coaches. The Bears also announced that head coach Matt Eberflus, who has a background as a defensive mind in the NFL, will remain with the team in 2024.
The #Bears are making staff changes, as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and members of his staff have been fired, per me and @TomPelissero. Chicago now needs two new coordinators for 2024.
“The #Bears are making staff changes, as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and members of his staff have been fired, per me and @TomPelissero,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Wednesday. “Chicago now needs two new coordinators for 2024.”
Eberflus has been an outspoken proponent of Fields, both the player and the person. As such, the news that he will remain at the helm pleased supporters of Fields throughout the fan base, who voiced their delight boisterously on social media platforms.
However, Adam Jahns of The Athletic considered the scenario from a different angle — that the firing of Fields’ two primary coaches means he could be gone in the coming months as well.
“Firing Getsy and Janocko [may] be a signal that a change at quarterback could be coming, too,” Jahns wrote Wednesday. “The next offensive coordinator and QB coach will have input on draft evaluations — and the Bears have the first pick and USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye to consider.”
Bears Locker Room Behind Justin Fields, May Not Be Enough
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
In just three years as a professional, Fields has already played for two head coaches and two offensive coordinators. Bringing in a third play caller in Fields’ fourth season adds even more tumult to the equation for a QB with a nearly unlimited ceiling with regards to his physical skill set, but one who is clearly behind the curve on his development as an NFL passer.
The flashes Fields has shown, particularly down the stretch of the 2023 regular season, argue for his potential as a top-10 QB in the league at some future point. And for what it’s worth, the majority of the locker room — including No. 1 wide receiver DJ Moore — already believes he’s there.
“What [the Bears] do have is a locker room to consider,” Jahns continued. “It’s strongly behind Fields. Receiver DJ Moore made that clear to [GM Ryan] Poles and Eberflus during his exit interview on Monday.”
Replacing Fields would feel to many in the organization and fan base like starting over, an idea to which Moore has already given voice. However, bringing in the third new offensive staff of Fields’ career in just his fourth season looks a lot like starting over, too.
Bears’ Salary Cap Considerations Work Against Justin Fields
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
Finally, Chicago’s decision makers must consider the financial benefits of drafting Williams or Maye as compared to sticking with Fields. Either QB will sign a significant rookie contract, but it will still be a bargain compared to the money that middle-of-the-road veterans around the league are earning at the position.
Fields will enter the final season of his four-year, $19 million rookie deal in 2024. The Bears own the rights to a fifth-year option on his contract, which they can exercise this offseason.
That number will be north of $20 million in 2025, after which Fields will come up for an extension. Regardless of how well he plays, Fields’ next deal figures to be the most expensive on the Bears’ salary cap sheet for the following four or five seasons.
If Chicago’s team of analysts believes Williams or Maye has even the same ceiling as Fields, let alone one that is significantly higher, the financially prudent choice is to reset the contract clock at QB because of the roster flexibility such a move will provide the organization over the next half decade.