The Chicago Bears fired numerous members of their offensive coaching staff on Wednesday, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. These changes point toward the Bears using the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft on a quarterback.
The choice is straightforward. The Bears will either trade the pick and continue building around Justin Fields as their franchise quarterback. Or they’ll trade Fields and select his successor, either USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye, with the top overall pick they’ve inherited from the Carolina Panthers. Wednesday’s happenings insinuate the Bears are currently leaning toward the latter.
If the Bears were planning to build around Fields, wouldn't general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus possess an interest in maintaining continuity on offense in hopes of keeping Fields comfortable? Fields has already played under two offensive coordinators in three seasons. If Fields returned to Chicago in 2024, it'll now be three play-callers in four campaigns. That's a less-than-ideal way to develop your supposed franchise quarterback.
Fields hasn't made the decision easy. The Bears wrapped up their 2023 campaign by claiming victories in four of their final six contests, including an eye-opening win over the NFC North-winning Detroit Lions that signaled progress. Fields completed 111-of-185 (60%) passing attempts for four touchdowns and three interceptions throughout this end-of-season stretch. An electric dual-threat quarterback, Fields added 316 rushing yards and three additional touchdowns to his offensive totals. Those numbers suggest Fields had been progressing nicely in Getsy's offense.
It now feels likelier that the Bears will hire an offensive coordinator with the next quarterback in mind. Both Poles and Eberflus possess connections to various potential candidates. For example, Poles spent time in Kansas City with Eric Bieniemy, who may not return to Washington after Ron Rivera's firing. Shane Waldron, the excellent offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, may be out following Pete Carroll's exit. Those are just two of many potential candidates.
Chicago could also entice candidates who possess an interest in coaching the quarterback they intend to draft. Kliff Kingsbury, once considered to own the brightest offensive mind in all of football, spent 2023 working as a senior offensive analyst and quarterbacks coach for the USC Trojans. Kingsbury will soon return to the NFL, either as a head coach, or likelier, as an offensive coordinator first. An opportunity to coach Williams for a second consecutive season may be too good of an offer for Kingsbury to overlook.
The status of Fields' contract may be decisive. Fields is currently scheduled to enter the fourth and final campaign of his rookie contract in 2024. As a former first-round selection, the Bears own the right to exercise a fifth-year option that would approximately pay Fields a fully guaranteed $25 million in 2025. The Bears would then be expected to negotiate a long-term extension with Fields, essentially tying the next three to five years to Fields’ development. The decision on Fields' fifth-year option won't be made until May, which is after the 2024 NFL Draft has concluded.
Keeping Fields would require a sizable financial commitment, particularly compared to the total value of a four-year rookie contract. The Bears appear to be leaning toward resetting the clock at quarterback. Firing Getsy is the first step toward drafting Maye or Williams.
