Bears Urged to Make YOLO Signing in 2022 to ‘Save Justin Fields Era’

Davante Adams Bears free agency

Getty There will be a ton of teams interested in Davante Adams next year.

It’s not news to say Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields hasn’t gotten off to the greatest start.

While the 22-year-old signal-caller has made his fair share of mistakes, misreading defenses and blitzes on occasion — as rookie QBs are wont to do — the team’s inability to surround him with weapons and a capable offensive line has been nothing short of negligent.

In his October 24 column for Bleacher Report titled “How the Chicago Bears Can Save the Justin Fields Era,” Brad Gagnon has listed four things the Bears must do in order to turn things around for their quarterback of the future — and one involves spending a ton of money on a top wide receiver.

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How to Fix the Bears, in 4 Parts

Gagnon included four things the Bears have to do to save Fields, and it’s difficult to argue against the bulk of them. He thinks Chicago should: Get veterans in at center and offensive tackle to lead the offensive line, fire head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace and acquire new team leadership. Gagnon also thinks the team should try to get something out of a trade for wide receiver Allen Robinson — if possible. The fourth and final thing? Nab a high-profile wideout in free agency after the season.

“This could change to an extent if promising sophomore Darnell Mooney can take a significant step forward in the next few months, but the cupboard is practically bare beyond that anyway,” Gagnon wrote about why the Bears need to do some WR shopping. Robinson is set to be a free agent next year — but he’s not alone.

Gagnon then named names and suggested the Bears try to go after arguably the best receiver in football.

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Should the Bears Go After Davante Adams in 2022?

Considering the Bears don’t have a first-round pick next year, going after one of the top wideouts in the draft isn’t feasible unless some fall to the second round, when Chicago has its first pick. Gagnon touched on two WRs with prominent connections to Fields entering the NFL before suggesting the team go after the likes of Adams or Chris Godwin:

Keep in mind that former Fields teammates Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are expected to be early-round picks at receiver in the 2021 draft. Adding either would be wise, but Arkansas product Treylon Burks and Drake London from USC are extremely intriguing potential Day 2 targets as well. Alternatively, they should consider going YOLO with a hot free agent like Davante Adams, Mike Williams, Courtland Sutton or Chris Godwin. They’re going to have to spend some cash, or the gamble on Fields might never pay off.

While the idea of Adams in a Bears uniform would be something, here’s the thing: The Bears have myriad needs, and Gagnon touched on most of them. They may need an offensive line most of all, as nothing else will matter if Fields can’t see the field because he has been injured. So while I would love to see Adams come to the Windy City, I don’t want the Bears to go all-in on weapons for Fields without shoring up the o-line first.

The Bears rookie has been sacked more times than any other quarterback in the NFL this season, getting sacked on 14.4% of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. No other QB in the league is even at 10%. He’s doing his best, but he needs protection — and guidance.

Gagnon was dead on about getting a new GM and coach duo in. Nagy’s offensive scheme and design are also issues, and he’ll need to go if the franchise wants to develop Fields properly. If the Bears take care of those two things first, going after a player like Adams would just be icing on the cake.

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