Justin Fields is still on the roster of the Chicago Bears, putting increased questions on the plans of the franchise with the NFL’s free agency period ongoing.

Previously, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles had publicly commented on wanting to “do right” by Fields if the team decides to draft Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. There is still a growing expectation that the Bears wind up taking Williams, evidenced by the fact that USC’s star quarterback still dominates the No. 1 pick odds at ESPN Bet.

Unfortunately, Fields’ trade market — and his shot at securing a starting job in the 2024 season — appears to be shrinking. QB-needy teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Minnesota Vikings all signed free agents instead of trading for Fields.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s “Get Up” crew tackled Fields’ dilemma, and Chris Canty said the former Ohio State star is already “a sunk cost” for the Bears.

“Cut your losses and move on because the one thing you can’t do is invite a QB controversy while you’re trying to get your young QB’s career off the ground in the NFL,” explained Canty.

On the other side of the discussion, Ryan Clark called it “the big elephant” that the Bears might be closer to moving forward with Fields than drafting Williams No. 1 overall:

“What if they aren’t going to draft Caleb Williams at all?” asked Clark. “What if Justin Fields is going to be the only first-round QB in the room? What if Justin Fields is going to be the starter?”

Louis Riddick quickly pushed back on that idea and said Fields will not be the starter in Chicago. In fact, Riddick says it’s up to Fields to face the fact he will not be a starter during the 2024 season.

Here is the full discussion from “Get Up:”

Will Fields be traded ahead of the draft? Fans can track the latest odds and line movement via Tradition’s Ohio betting apps.

Examining the best options

To be fair, the “best option” at this point looks drastically different depending on if you are looking at this thing through the eyes of Fields or the eyes of the Bears.

For Fields, the best option is likely to remain in Chicago with the franchise opting to support the young quarterback for another year or two. The true fact of the matter is that we do not know what Fields looks like with a competent supporting cast, but he’s running out of time to get that support in Chicago.

For the Bears (and more specifically, Poles), there’s only one truly best option. Chicago (via Poles) is going to draft Williams if only because passing on him carries significantly more risk than not drafting him and also banking multiple draft assets and dollars on supporting Fields.

Even with the way free agency has gone, Fields is likely to be traded. And that means his shot at be a starting quarterback (barring injuries) has dwindled. That also means it’s unlikely any future team will pick up his 5th-year rookie option.

The path ahead for Fields and his career has suddenly become very precarious, and it will likely take a lot of work and multiple years until he gets back into a starting QB role. For now, his best option is to hope Chicago finds a suitor with a veteran QB to learn behind for a year.