(670 The Score) Stripped of context, an NFL general manager giving up a future first-round draft pick in a trade package that boldly addressed his franchise's biggest need sounds as understandable as it is exciting.
But when that general manager is Ryan Pace and he whiffed badly enough to lose his job the last time he aggressively moved up in the NFL Draft to take a quarterback, my immediate reaction related to the man picking the player more than the player himself. My initial thoughts on Thursday evening after the Bears gave the Giants their No. 20 overall selection and a fifth-round pick this year and a first- and fourth-round selection next year to draft Ohio State's Justin Fields recounted all that went wrong the last time Pace fixated on a quarterback he had to have. That was 2017, four long years ago, when Pace made the mistake sports executives seldom survive and gave up a king's ransom to draft Mitchell Trubisky second overall.
It's not fair to allow Trubisky's failure with the Bears temper enthusiasm over Fields' chances for success, not fair to let Pace's past or the organization's tortured history at the quarterback position affect your expectations for Fields' future.
But we're human. And these are the Bears.
So, the caution in Chicago's optimism is warranted. It's recommended even, and Pace earned any reservations by missing on Trubisky, signing Mike Glennon, being wrong about Nick Foles and signing Andy Dalton – four quarterback decisions that created the desperation that inspired Pace's latest audacious move.
Once the Panthers at No. 8 and Broncos at No. 9 selected cornerbacks back-to-back, projections that five quarterbacks would go in the top 10 went out the draft room window. After the Eagles traded up with the Cowboys to No. 10 to take Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, the door opened for Pace and, just as significantly, the price for the coveted quarterback became more affordable.
A good day suddenly got better. In some ways, the Bears already had reason to celebrate on draft day after ESPN reported that Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay. Now, the dominoes had fallen so that the Bears had an opportunity too irresistible for Pace's impulsive draft instincts.
At No. 11, the Giants already had a young franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones, and general manager Dave Gettleman saw a chance to accumulate assets with Fields and Alabama quarterback Mac Jones still on the board. Jones eventually went 15th to the Patriots and, frankly, would've been more difficult for Pace to justify trading up to get than Fields, whose proverbial ceiling is higher. My greatest concerns over Pace overpaying revolved around speculation that the Bears would trade two No. 1s to move up as high as No. 4 to draft Trey Lance, who has the most boom-or-bust potential of all five quarterbacks selected Thursday. The 49ers made that a moot point for the Bears by drafting Lance third, the kind of risk San Francisco general manager John Lynch can take but Pace just couldn't afford. Moving up nine spots is different from jumping 16.
No matter how many of us had urged Pace to bore us by standing pat and taking an offensive tackle or cornerback, he couldn't hold back with Fields available and Gettleman willing to make a deal. So, Pace pounced, celebrating at Halas Hall after taking a dynamic playmaker who excelled against the best of the best defenses in college football.
A typical Fields day is no fun for defensive coordinators.
Fields possesses the dual-threat ability likely to translate well in the modern NFL, a runner who's been compared to Cam Newton and a dangerous downfield passer with mechanics that figure to get smoother with coaching and experience. He went 20-2 as a starter for Ohio State and played through injury too, finishing his two seasons as a Buckeye with 5,373 passing yards and a whopping 63-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He's a winner and proven leader, explosive and efficient, a 6-foot-3-inch, 228-pound athlete who clocked a 4.43 40-yard dash at his pro day.
During the pre-draft process, Fields opened eyes with the revelation he has successfully managed epilepsy – a neurological disorder that can cause seizures. But since epilepsy hasn't affected Fields and other family members were said to have outgrown the illness, his medical prognosis was positive without concerns that it would affect his football career.
How quickly that career takes off depends on the path the Bears choose for Fields' development. That will be an ongoing story that promises to frame the 2021 season, with Fields on board representing hope for the future and Dalton already arrived as the veteran bridge quarterback in the present.
Can coach Matt Nagy develop Fields after struggling so mightily to get the most out of Trubisky? That question nagged Nagy and loomed as large as the ones around Pace heading into this draft.
The Bears answered yes so emphatically in moving up to take Fields that you wondered if Nagy's voice was the one that carried the most weight in the draft room, if Nagy was the one empowered most this offseason. The challenge becomes tailoring the offense around Fields' diverse skill set and simplifying the scheme so a rookie can adapt quickly. But in taking a quarterback in the first round as talented as Fields, the pressure on Nagy intensifies because this supposedly is his forte. It's worth remembering that Nagy was on the Chiefs staff in 2017 when they drafted Patrick Mahomes at a similar spot in the first round, 10th overall, and coach Andy Reid sat Mahomes in his rookie season behind Alex Smith. In that way, Dalton becomes the Bears' Alex Smith – patience at the position Nagy has seen pay off firsthand.
Whether the heat increases on Nagy and Pace to make the playoffs next season or lose their jobs – a common assumption this offseason – remains to be seen, but drafting Fields challenges that narrative. If Nagy and Pace truly felt as if they needed to win now, in the present, would they have gone out on a limb to draft a quarterback of the future?
Everything about this draft pick suggests both men have at least two seasons to make this look like a smart pick, with Nagy perhaps even becoming more secure than Pace with a chance to apply his expertise with Fields.
By trading assets and moving up to draft a quarterback who excites the masses, it feels like the Bears hit reset at 8:41 p.m. Thursday.
By all means, enjoy that feeling – even if it was all too familiar.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.
