Welcome back, everyone!

I’m writing to you guys this week from the Big Island of Hawaii!

Because of that, this article will be briefer than the others, much less based on analytics, and at risk of some grammatical errors.

The Debate

Going into the offseason with the number one overall pick in the draft for the second straight year, the Chicago Bears are faced with an important choice at the quarterback position.

Keep Justin Fields, or draft Caleb Williams.

Fans of both players have held firm in defending them and abandoned all logic in doing so.

So in an effort to clear the air and bring even the slightest bit of sanity to this debate, I’ll be telling you the argument from both sides as passionately as they do and letting you decide before sharing what I actually think the Bears should do.

Lets begin.

Keep H1M!!!

The Chicago Bears should absolutely not be drafting Caleb Williams. He is not as good as the media is telling you!

Look at how poorly Caleb Williams has performed against top-25 defenses; he is not going to be able to survive against an NFL defense!

The Bears have a proven star in Justin Fields but have failed to put him in any position to succeed.

He’s dealt with head coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in his time here so far. We finally brought in new staff with a track record of offensive success and experience revitalizing quarterback careers.

Justin is too talented of a thrower to be traded away.

I mean, have you seen the throw against Clemson?

Also, consider the haul of draft picks you could get in return if you trade the number one overall pick.

We got an incredible return last year, and the expectation is that we'll get way more in return this year. This is how you build a roster for long-term success!

Imagine pairing Justin Fields with Marvin Harrison Jr.

He is easily the best wide receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson and would make life so easy for Justin.

Justin Fields also has some of the highest upside of any quarterback in the league. He has elite rushing capabilities. If you can pair that with efficient throwing, he will be lethal.

The answer is simple.

Keep H1M.

THE FRANC13E

If the Bears don’t draft Caleb Williams, we are blowing our chance at redeeming ourselves for passing on Patrick Mahomes back in 2017.

This guy is regarded as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

Why do you think the Bears will get such a good return for the first overall pick if they trade it?

Because every team knows how good Caleb Williams will be!

This guy has the most insane playmaking ability and can actually throw the football, unlike Justin Fields.

Fields doesn’t even average 200 yards passing per game. It is totally unsustainable!

Caleb Williams has only performed badly against top-25 defensive teams because his own team sucked!

He was forced to play the hero and pull off miraculous plays all the time. He won’t be asked to do all of that in the NFL. He can actually rely on his defense and play the type of football he wants to play!

We simply can’t afford to pay Justin Fields the amount that he’ll get if we keep him around.

He will be significantly overpaid, and you’ll be forced to cut other players who are more deserving of contracts.

Caleb Williams comes on a cheap rookie deal, and he’ll be immediately inserted into an incredible supporting cast.

This is an obvious decision.

Draft Caleb Williams.

What I think they should do

Before I tell you what I think they should do, I’ll preface this by saying that both sides have good points.

Justin Fields is a leader in the Bears locker room and has some of the best work ethic at the quarterback position in the entire NFL. I do believe that he can improve if he sticks around.

You’ll also get an incredible return of draft capital if you trade the first overall pick. It would allow the Bears to once again have multiple first-rounders next year and continue to bring young talent to the team.

Justin Fields has, however, not been great in his time with the Bears.

The team has struggled to win, Fields has struggled as a passer, and he is due a lot of money very soon if we keep him around. There are questions about whether he’s worth that money and how you continue to pay other players if you pay him.

In my opinion, the Bears need to draft Caleb Williams

As much as I do like Justin Fields and believe that he could improve, the timing just isn’t right with the Bears.

He is due too much money, and you can’t afford to pay him that money without guaranteeing performance in return.

He also plays an unsustainable style of quarterback play in the long term. He runs the ball a lot, takes a lot of hits, and has missed multiple games due to injury in the past two years because of that. If you are going to pay your quarterback, you need to know that he’ll be healthy.

A lot of people argue that the coaching staff would lose the support of the locker room if they traded Fields because of how much the team respects him. And though I’m sure players would be upset, they will quickly forget once you start winning.

Teams have also been hesitant to trade for Justin so far this offseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons both opted to sign veterans rather than Justin Fields, who is still only 25 years old.

The lack of interest in Fields and the high interest in Caleb Williams should be telling in and of themselves.

Although the return of draft picks would be great, I believe it is harder to sustain long-term team success by relying on an incredible supporting cast rather than an incredible quarterback.

Great quarterbacks elevate the team around them.

Teams like the Bills and Chiefs have found themselves continuously in the playoffs regardless of the supporting cast because their quarterback play has been so good.

Caleb Williams has the potential to be one of those players who elevates a franchise.

I don’t know for sure if Caleb Williams will be as great as people project him to be, but I do know this.

Regardless of what the Bears choose to do, they will be a better team.

Thanks for navigating the NFL’s Darkest Timeline with me. If you enjoyed this read, share it with a human being who you think would appreciate it too.

Until next time,

Michael

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