The Chicago Bears have an important decision to make at quarterback this offseason — stick with Justin Fields or draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
But most NFL analysts and insiders believe it’s a pretty easy call — draft Williams, who many consider a generational talent, at No. 1.
For general manager Ryan Poles, it’s a franchise-defining decision that will impact this team for the next decade — and will determine his long-term future with the Bears. And everyone knows that.
In fact, wide receiver Brenden Rice, who played with Williams for two seasons at USC, warned that Poles will be fired one day if he elects to pass on Williams with the No. 1 pick.
“If you can risk [not picking him] and picking apart his game and letting him fall, have fun losing your job, man,” Rice told the Chicago Sun-Times at the Senior Bowl. “Honestly, have fun. I’m proud of my quarterback.”
There’s been plenty of criticism about Williams, which stems more from a character aspect than his on-field play. Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, sung Williams’ praises as a leader.
“I love him as a teammate; that dude’s a leader,” Rice said. “I had some dark days out on that field my junior year. I had a lot of drops and a lot of inconsistency. And he knew how to bring the best out of me.
“He sits back and laughs at all of that [criticism]. He adds it to his drive, and it fuels his fire, and he goes ahead and just displays every day that he’s gonna be a leader and attack the day.”
When Poles met with the media at his end-of-year press conference, he said a decision hadn’t been made yet about Fields’ future. The team is in “information-gathering mode” and will let the process play itself out.
“We are going to turn every stone to make sure we make a sound decision for our organization,” Poles said. “I do think Justin got better. I do think he can lead this team. At the same time, there’s a unique situation and our staff has to look at everything.”
Poles said he would once again have to be “blown away” by a quarterback to move on from Fields. But if there’s someone who will blow Poles away, it’ll certainly be Williams.
