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Justin Fields was in a tough spot with the Chicago Bears entering the 2024 NFL offseason. He has continually made progress as their starting quarterback but there was a lack of clarity regarding his future given that the Bears had the number-one overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which they were rumored to be planning to use on a quarterback.
Those rumors turned true after they traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This means that the franchise will draft a quarterback with their first pick. Top-rated prospect Caleb Williams appears to be the most likely candidate.
Former quarterback Cam Newton recently shared his thoughts on this situation during an episode of the 4th & 1 podcast. He discussed Justin Fields' "trainwreck experience" with the Chicago Bears.
"This is a business, and unfortunately, it hasn't been in his favor," Newton said. "It wasn'tup to him to get traded, it was a collision course. He was about to be train wreck, hell, his experience there was a train wreck. He stated, and multiple teammates ahve stated, that they wanted Justin to stay."
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"It's not just the Chicago Bears, but a lot of organizations are feeling the heat," Newton added.
"You really only got two to potentially three years to show that you're good, because the NFL has changed. We're not allowing players to develop anymore, we're trying to sell jerseys and we're trying to win football games."
Cam Newton explained how Justin Fields fell victim to the harsh business end of modern NFL teams. The days of drafting a quarterback and being patient with them seem to be long gone, as teams are now looking to quickly transition to win-now mode. If a quarterback doesn't flash greatness immediately, many teams will immediately explore alternative plans.
The financial side of this situation also plays a major role in this decision, with quarterback contracts continually skyrocketing in value.
In Fields' case, he is essentially in the final year of his rookie contract, so if they aren't willing to pay him a market-value contract, it makes sense that they would want to embrace their opportunity to change directions with the number-one overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bears' competitive offseason moves since trading Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears have received a lot of criticism for not extending Justin Fields. He has struggled with a dearth of weapons and one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. Apparently, the organization does not want to make the same mistake with its new quarterback this year, who is most likely Caleb Williams.
The franchise has been aggressive during the 2024 NFL offseason, building as strong an offense as they possibly can in preparation for their transition.
They traded for Keenan Allen and then added D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett during the 2024 NFL free-agency period. They also made several additions to their offensive line, so they seem to be going all-in on Williams' future.
