LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As the Chicago Bears’ offseason got underway following another disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers, Bears fans appeared to be split over the future of the team — and especially over who should start at quarterback in 2024.
The Bears, who have the No.1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, could use that pick to choose a new quarterback to lead the franchise — and move on from quarterback Justin Fields, who only has a one-year option left on his rookie deal.
While many fans have taken to social media to voice their preference, some took a more direct approach overnight to reaching Bears brass: They placed a series of yard signs outside of Halas Hall in support of bringing back Fields and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
“In Justin we trustin,’” read one sign.
Another read: “Fans want H1M. Teammates want H1M. We have H1M. DON’T trade H1M.”
As for how Fields is handling the uncertainty, he pointed out to the media that he has been through this before. The Bears had the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, as well, which they traded to the Carolina Panthers for a package that included star receiver DJ Moore, Carolina’s top pick in 2024 and more draft picks.
After Sunday’s loss, the 24-year-old said he can only “control what I can control.”
“I’m going to get healthy this offseason, spend time with my family and get better,” he said. “Like I said, we went through the same thing last year, we had the No. 1 pick, everybody was asking, ‘What if? What if? What if?’ And nothing happened. I’m not saying that nothing might happen, because, shoot, we all don’t know.”
In his time with the Bears, Fields has completed just over 60% of his career pass attempts. He’s thrown for 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Over his 38 starts, the Bears have gone 10-28, though the team progressed from 3-14 in 2022 to 7-10 in 2023.
Although Fields wouldn’t guess on Sunday what direction the Bears will take, he acknowledged how much it would mean if the team showed faith in him again and traded the No. 1 overall pick.
“At the end of the day, this is a business, so they have to make the tough decisions,” Fields said. “My job is just to go out there and play my best. But it would mean a lot just to get that confirmation from them and just really send a message that they trust me to lead this team and be the quarterback of the Bears.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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