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Ryan Poles

Coaching Notes: Bears, Jaguars, Allen, Patriots, Lake

January 9th, 2025 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

GM-centric workflow models are more common in the modern NFL than those that start with head coaches, though some teams still have their sideline leaders atop the personnel pyramid. The Bears are not one of them, and it does not sound like they intend to change that after this search concludes. Chairman George McCaskey confirmed (via the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs) the team’s next HC will still report to GM Ryan Poles, who will report to president Kevin Warren.

This will close the door on a coach power play or a change in which both the Bears’ HC and GM would report to Warren. The top-down model being non-negotiable could affect the franchise’s search to some degree, though the Bears have used this setup for a while. Additionally, the Bears’ first round of interviews will be entirely virtual, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. This applies to unattached coaches, who are not bound by league rules mandating virtual meetings before January 20, the day after the divisional round wraps.

Here is the latest from the coaching carousel:

  • A Monday report did not make it clear if the Patriots would fire Alex Van Pelt along with Jerod Mayo, but the veteran OC apparently told friends shortly after the Bills matchup he and the HC were each fired, the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes. This is not yet official, but coordinator statuses can go quiet as teams search for new HCs. Mayo had criticized Van Pelt during the season, leading to hot seat rumors. But the play-caller had drawn praise for his work with Drake Maye. The Patriots should expect plenty of staff turnover, the Globe’s Nicole Yang adds. That is generally the norm, but the Pats retained several staffers following their Bill Belichick-to-Mayo transition.
  • Ben Johnson is set to go through a four-pack of interviews between Friday and Saturday, as summits with the Patriots, Raiders (both Friday) and Bears and Jaguars (Saturday) loom. Buzz around the league points to Johnson being intrigued by the Jacksonville job, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes, but the in-demand assistant might want his own GM. The Lions’ OC has been notoriously picky when it comes to a job, and although more noise has come about him taking one during this cycle, Trent Baalke being retained could throw a wrench into the Jags’ process. It would seem unlikely if the Jags allowed Baalke to remain GM if Johnson preferred that not remain the case, and a Wednesday report indicated the team could be open to kicking Baalke to another role. That said, Fowler adds some among the Jags are skeptical a coach could run a power play to boot Baalke from his four-year post.
  • Not much has come out about Dennis Allen‘s future post-New Orleans, but the recently fired Saints leader may have another DC chance again soon. The Colts have come up as an interested party, Fowler adds, noting the three-year Saints HC should be a candidate for the Indy DC job. The team has yet to conduct an interview, but Allen has been either a head coach or DC for most of the past 14 years. The Saints had played well defensively leading up to this season, with Allen at the helm when the team repaired a porous unit in the late 2010s.
  • No Falcons coordinator changes have come out, but some in the league are keeping an eye on their DC situation, Fowler notes. Raheem Morris did not definitively endorse Jimmy Lake for a second year. Morris brought the former Washington Huskies HC with him from the Rams’ staff, doing the same with OC Zac Robinson. After improving under one-and-done DC Ryan Nielsen, the Falcons dropped to 23rd in scoring defense and yards allowed under Lake, a first-time NFL coordinator.

Bears Not Ruling Out Trading For HC; Latest On Team’s Search Process

January 7th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears have not seen a coach stick around for a long-term stay since Lovie Smith, having seen Matt Nagy‘s tenure stop at four years and Matt Eberflus‘ end before Year 3 was done. As they hope to find a leader who can maximize Caleb Williams — or one whose OC hire will do so — the Bears are keeping their options open.

Ryan Poles said the Bears might have some surprises in this search, via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. A trade for a head coach is also not something Poles will rule out. Trades for HCs’ rights are not too common, but they have produced splashy results in the modern era.

Sean Payton has turned the Broncos around after their disastrous Nathaniel Hackett season, while Bruce Arians‘ unretirement keyed a Buccaneers Super Bowl win. Turn-of-the-century deals involving Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden and Mike Holmgren also all produced Super Bowl appearances, with the Patriots’ play yielding this century’s best run of success. First-round picks changed hands in the Payton, Belichick and Gruden trades. A second went to the Packers for Holmgren, while a late-round pick swap brought Arians to Tampa.

The Bears have not gone down this road. To be fair, they are far from the only team not to have done so. Speculation about a Kyle Shanahan-to-Chicago trade did not take off, with 49ers brass quickly confirming the two-time NFC champion HC was not going anywhere. Kevin O’Connell, oddly, came up in trade rumors as well. This may pertain to potential Vikings extension talks, but multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring the high-end play-caller’s rights. While an intra-division trade involving O’Connell would be extremely unlikely, a call to the Browns on what it would take to obtain the recently extended Kevin Stefanski — slated to stay in Cleveland, as his team is trapped with the Deshaun Watson contract — would make sense.

As far as who will be making this call for the Bears, Poles is still leading the charge. Though, candidates are curious as to president Kevin Warren‘s role within the organization. Previously viewed as a business-side boss, Warren has instead been playing a regular role in personnel. Warren joins Poles, owner George McCaskey, co-director of player personnel Jeff King, director of football administration Matt Feinstein and executive VP Liz Geist on the search committee.

Assistant GM Ian Cunningham represents an interesting omission, but ESPN.com’s Cronin adds the three-year Bears exec would be added to the committee if efforts to secure a promotion elsewhere to not pan out. Cunningham faced off with 49ers exec Adam Peters in the finals for the Commanders’ GM job last year and has interviewed elsewhere since arriving in Chicago. He has not received any interview requests yet this year, though only two teams — the Jets and Titans — are hiring. The Tennessee opening also only emerged Tuesday morning.

McCaskey is not expected to play a lead role here, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, who indicates Poles and Warren will instead shape this hire. Potentially helping to explain any potential trade rumors involving this job opening, a source told Jones that Warren may want a splashier hire to help his stadium project — one that has seen some twists and turns since it launched — across the goal line. The team has scheduled a Mike Vrabel meeting, and Lions OC Ben Johnson — a long-rumored target — is expected to interview as well. The Bears have also reached out to the Cowboys on Mike McCarthy but have not heard back. McCarthy’s Dallas HC contract expires January 14.

Via PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Bears’ search stands so far:

NFL Coaching Rumors: Bears, Shanahan, Sanders

December 8th, 2024 at 8:15pm CST by Ely Allen

As we continue to inch closer to the end of the season, head coaching jobs are becoming open, and more and more speculations are connecting candidates to new locations. According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, there are quite a few mixed opinions on whether or not Chicago is a premier destination for a new head coach.

There are certainly factors that make the Bears an attractive team to coach. Rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has shown promise throughout his first season on the team. There are a few other young, talented players ready to be developed, and even with some veteran contributors likely to be on their way out soon, Chicago should be in a pretty good position salary cap-wise over the next few years.

The issue comes from the organization’s management. For years and years now, horror stories have come out of Halas Hall concerning the uncertain hierarchy in the building. Candidates and their agents are doing research on team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles in order to determine who will have the ability and intent to potentially overrule the head coach. How stable or risky the situation is will likely contribute to the quality of candidates that interview for the job.

Here are a few other rumors about coaching situations across the NFL:

  • We touched recently on some of the “comical” rumors that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was approaching a hot seat. General manager John Lynch shut down those rumors, but Shanahan felt the need to speak on a similar rumor after today’s win, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. When asked about speculation that another team should trade for him this offseason, Shanahan told the media, “I don’t want to be any place in the world more than here.”
  • In what has been viewed as a relatively weak candidate pool for head coaching candidates this year, some college coaching names are popping up in conversations. One name that many have been looking for is fast-rising Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Sanders began his head coaching career at Jackson State, finding immediate success that led to his hiring at Colorado. After a rough first year under Sanders, the Buffaloes turned it around with a 9-3 season behind two separate Heisman candidates this season. With his obvious connections to certain NFL franchises, it makes sense that this would be the next step for Sanders, but according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, his name has not been making the rounds in coaching circles yet. The two teams that he has been linked to as a good fit, the Cowboys and Raiders, don’t have open coaching jobs, and he is currently not viewed as a natural fit for Chicago, New Orleans, or New York.

Ryan Poles To Lead Bears’ HC Search

December 2nd, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the wake of Matt Eberflus‘ firing, Ryan Poles’ status briefly became a talking point. The latter is nevertheless set to remain in place as general manager of the Bears through the team’s upcoming head coaching search.

“Ryan Poles is the general manager of the Chicago Bears and he will remain the general manager of the Chicago Bears,” president Kevin Warren confirmed on Monday (via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “I am confident in Ryan. My belief is strong in Ryan.”

[RELATED: Latest On Bears’ Play-Calling Changes]

Warren noted that Poles – in place since 2022 – will be Chicago’s “point person” during the process of finding Eberflus’ replacement. The Bears went 14-32 with Eberflus at the helm, and a distinct lack of success in close games played a key role in the decision to make the franchise’s first in-season coaching change. Poles specifically mentioned the handling of late-game situations as being a factor in Eberflus’ firing (h/t Adam Jahns of The Athletic).

Poles’ tenure has featured a rebuilding effort at a number of positions, including the decision to reset under center this offseason. Justin Fields was traded away before Chicago used the No. 1 pick (acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Panthers the previous spring) on Caleb Williams. The rookie’s play this season has been up and down, but it has shown signs of improvement since Thomas Brown took over as offensive play-caller. Brown is now interim head coach, and strong reviews from within the organization could give him a realistic chance at landing the full-time gig.

Still, the Bears will of course look at outside candidates as well. A long list of staffers with an offensive background could be on the team’s radar over the coming months, and to no surprise Poles named (via Cronin) a development plan for Williams as a central aspect of any candidates’ chances of being hired. Helping Williams reach his potential will be crucial as the Bears look to find stability at the QB spot and elsewhere in the organization.

Questions have been raised about whether or not Warren is truly leading the way for the Bears in terms of key decisions. During his Monday remarks, Warren did say (via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network) that Poles will have the final call on the upcoming head coaching hire. That decision will nevertheless be a collaborative one this winter with Chicago looking for a long-term solution on the sidelines.

Bears To Prioritize Leadership Ability In Next HC; GM Ryan Poles Expected To Be Retained

December 1st, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bears will be in the market for a new head coach this offseason, and per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the club believes its vacancy is the most attractive one that will be available. With a promising rookie-contract quarterback in Caleb Williams and a bevy of other offensive talent, over $80MM in projected salary cap space, and a new stadium project in the offing, Chicago is hopeful it will be able to land the candidate of its choice.

According to Jones, the Bears hope to hire a “leader of men” type of head coach. In other words, the candidate’s status as an offensive or defensive savant will not be as much of a priority as that person’s mental toughness and leadership abilities. The successes of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and Dan Campbell in Detroit have underscored the importance of those qualities, and recent HC hirees Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn, Jerod Mayo, and Jim Harbaugh also fit the “leader of men” mold (although those coaches, like almost all coaches, also offer an offensive or defensive background).

Scott Bair of the Marquee Sports Network agrees that leadership skills, along with in-game management prowess, are traits the Bears will be seeking in their next HC. However, Bair does believe that a brilliant offensive mind, or someone that can bring such a mind on board, will also be a prerequisite, which jibes with earlier reports on the matter. He names Mike Vrabel, Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury, Aaron Glenn, and Joe Brady as external HC candidates, while Jones adds Brian Flores and Bill Belichick as possible targets. As reported previously, interim head coach Thomas Brown will also have a chance at the permanent gig.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) acknowledges that the Bears’ opening will be coveted, and he also believes that Kingsbury will be under consideration. Of course, the team interviewed the former Cardinals’ HC this past offseason for its offensive coordinator post, although it was reported that the summit was really more of an intel-gathering session on Williams, whom Kingsbury coached at USC and whom the Bears were preparing to select with the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft. Naturally, the Kingsbury-Williams connection will drive a great deal of Kingsbury-Chicago speculation during the upcoming cycle.

Johnson, meanwhile, will again be one of the hottest candidates on the market, and he is expected to remain very selective about his next destination. On that note, ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously said that Johnson could opt to steer clear of the Bears due to perceived organizational dysfunction, although Schefter may have changed his stance. During his appearance on Sunday NFL Countdown today, Schefter said that Johnson might indeed have some interest in the Chicago job (video link).

Jones and Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (video link) also see Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman as a dark horse candidate for the Bears’ HC post. Freeman, who was actually drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, has led the Fighting Irish to an 11-1 record and a likely spot in the College Football Playoff field in his first year at the helm. Freeman was recently named as one of the college coaches expected to receive NFL HC interest in 2025.

Per Jones, it is unclear who will make the final decision on the club’s next HC. Of course, owner George McCaskey will have considerable input, but team president Kevin Warren will be heavily involved as well. One way or another, though, GM Ryan Poles’ job is safe, and he will be a part of the search. 

There were some recent rumblings that Poles could be handed his walking papers at season’s end, but prior reports indicated that Poles and Warren are aligned in their vision for the team, and both Jones and Rapoport report that the GM – who was originally hired just two days before the recently-dismissed Matt Eberflus – will be retained. Interestingly, Rapoport says that Poles will “assist” Warren in running the search, which would seem to corroborate the league-wide perception that Warren is the one making the calls.

Eberflus Fallout: Bears, Warren, Brown, Poles

November 29th, 2024 at 9:48pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Bears’ Friday coaching change came as a surprise after head coach Matt Eberflus completed his morning media availability before he was fired. The coaching staff “had a normal morning” with their usual postgame meetings after Thursday’s loss to the Lions, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. Eberflus spoke to the media, though he was clearly aware of the potential to lose his job.

Meanwhile, chairman George McCaskey, team president Kevin Warren, and general manager Ryan Poles were amidst a multi-hour meeting debating Eberflus’s firing that lasted through his press conference, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Bears’ decision-makers came to their decision and informed Eberflus so he could tell his staff before they went home for the day.

Here is more fallout from the Bears’ coaching change:

  • Warren remained in the locker room for much longer than usual after Thursday’s loss, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. He spoke with several players, many of whom criticized Eberflus’s decision not to call a timeout before the last play of the game. Whether it was gathering feedback or assuring players that the front office would work to right the ship, those conversations likely factored into Warren’s approval of the firing. However, he was not present when the front office addressed the locker room after the coaching change was announced, per Breer.
  • Warren is expected to be on the search committee when the Bears interview head coach candidates after the regular season, per ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler. He’s had an “active role” in football operations since arriving in Chicago in 2023, according to Kahler. There is even “a perception around the league that Warren is the one making the calls,” indicating that Poles’ job security as general manager could be in question.
  • The scene in the locker room immediately after the game was “pretty ugly”, according to Breer. Players and coaches were frustrated with the team’s inability to close out a comeback after going down 16-0 in the first half.
  • Interim head coach Thomas Brown is well-regarded within the organization after starting the year as pass-game coordinator before taking over as offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was fired earlier this month. It’s unlikely that Chicago’s first-ever midseason coaching change would install an interim that wasn’t a candidate for the full-time gig after the season is over, according to the Chicago Sun Times’ Patrick Finley. He now has five games to win over the Bears’ locker room and front office to cement his candidacy for a long-term position. If Brown inspires a turnaround, he could convince the team’s decision-makers that he’s the right man for the job before they have a chance to interview any other options.
  • Brown has been “hands on” with Caleb Williams over the last three games, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Williams has averaged 275.7 passing yards in that stretch after averaging fewer than 200 over the team’s first nine games. The team appreciates Brown’s direct approach with Williams and wants to see if it has an impact on the whole team.
  • In addition to monitoring Brown’s potential as head coach, the Bears are still evaluating the rest of the coaching staff over the remainder of the season, per veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson.
  • If Brown isn’t able to earn the job, the Bears are expected to target an offensive-minded coach to further Williams’ development, per Cronin. Offensive coordinators like the Lions’ Ben Johnson, the Buccaneers’ Liam Coen, the Falcons’ Zac Robinson, and the Cardinals’ Drew Petzig could all be on Chicago’s short-list.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Davis, Vikes

November 7th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Questions about Matt Eberflus‘ status have emerged once again, as the Bears have lost two straight — the first of which featuring one of the more shocking endings in franchise history — to drop to 4-4. Eberflus fended off firing rumors to receive another chance this year, though he hired a new offensive staff upon being retained. Eberflus did not necessarily enter the season with the kind of playoffs-or-bust mandate Robert Saleh faced in New York, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs writes, but it is fairly clear the Bears will again need a good second half for the defense-minded coach to feel comfortable.

Eberflus is 14-28 as a coach, though his first season — a 3-14 campaign — featured a gutted roster early in a rebuild. Ryan Poles did not conduct the search that produced Eberflus, being hired only two days before the HC. But the GM is probably a better bet to outlast the coach, should this season go south. Poles and team president Kevin Warren are aligned in their vision, Biggs observes, pointing to the prospect of Poles being given the chance to hire a second coach. Poles would obviously have a greater influence in the Bears’ HC hire a second time around, should a 2025 change take place.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • John Cominsky went down with an MCL tear early in training camp, but the Lions waited until setting their 53-man roster to place the defensive lineman on IR. Cominsky is still in the mix to return at some point for the NFC North leaders, though Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers notes no reemergence is expected during the regular season. Cominsky is only in play to return if/once the Lions make the playoffs.
  • Elsewhere along the Lions’ front seven, Josh Paschal is on the way back after undergoing a recent treatment. The former second-round edge rusher needed to have a noncancerous mass removed. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer in 2018, Paschal has needed yearly scans; his latest led to a two-game absence due to the mass needing to be removed, via DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman. Paschal, who worked as a Lions starter in the two games before the hiatus, did not go on IR and is expected to return in Week 10. He will now be joined by trade pickup Za’Darius Smith, and a big role could await as both Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are out for the regular season’s remainder.
  • Jamin Davis spent time as an edge defender during his final season with Washington, but in Green Bay, the former first-round pick has returned to his initial NFL role. The Packers have the 2021 draftee working as an off-ball ‘backer, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes. The Pack added Davis to their practice squad but have yet to elevate him for a game. Green Bay drafted two linebackers on Day 2 this year, though as a 36-game Washington starter from 2021-23, Davis now represents Green Bay insurance and perhaps an intriguing rebound piece.
  • Placed on IR due to an ankle injury, Luke Musgrave will not be back for a while. The second-year tight end ultimately needed surgery, Matt LaFleur said recently. LaFleur indicated the hope is Musgrave can return later this season. A second-round pick, Musgrave has seen 2023 third-rounder Tucker Kraft become the Packers’ top tight end. Musgrave also missed six games as a rookie, though he remains in the Packers’ IR-return puzzle for this season.
  • After coming up in trade rumors before the deadline, Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah ended up staying with the team. Minnesota did, however, end up discussing Asamoah with teams, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Some degree of interest existed, but the former third-round pick does not have a role on defense right now. Asamoah has yet to start an NFL game, despite having been in the league for three seasons, further limiting his trade value.

Chargers, Raiders, Ravens Considered Justin Fields In Trades; QB Moving Toward Steelers’ Starting Job

September 26th, 2024 at 10:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Fields appears to be moving toward solidification of the Steelers’ starting quarterback job, one he could not win during training camp. Pittsburgh is 3-0, and Russell Wilson saw a calf injury deny him the chance to begin a starter run with the team. Wilson remains limited in practice.

While Mike Tomlin is slow-playing this matter, it would be somewhat difficult to see the Steelers pivot back to Wilson after Fields piloted the team to three wins. This always loomed as a possible scenario, despite the Steelers’ offseason party line favoring the more experienced option. Wilson’s status changed when the Steelers acquired Fields days after officially signing the 13th-year veteran, and the Bears helped steer the younger passer to Pittsburgh.

Although it remains farfetched the Bears turned down a notably better offer to send Fields to the Steelers, they are still believed to have done right by their three-year starter to move him to a team without a solidified QB1. Fields confirmed the Bears helped him out by trading him to the Steelers, indicating on Cam Heyward‘s Not Just Football podcast the NFC North team gave him a chance to choose his destination. Months before losing a higher-profile trade sweepstakes that featured Brandon Aiyuk ultimately preferring to stay with the 49ers, the Steelers benefited from a somewhat similar process — in a deal that only cost them a conditional sixth-round pick.

With Wilson looking likely to be Pittsburgh’s backup when he returns to full strength, Fields will probably cost the Steelers a 2025 fourth due to playing more than 51% of the team’s offensive snaps this season. The former first-round pick preferred this situation to others the Bears entertained, telling Heyward other teams with solidified starters pursued him. The Chargers and Ravens were two of those, while Fields added the Raiders — who did not have a surefire starter at that point — were also in the mix.

Bears GM Ryan Poles confirmed other trade paths existed, and Fields was intrigued by the Falcons, Vikings and Raiders before QB dominoes fell. The Raiders, who hired two-year Bears OC Luke Getsy to be their play-caller (after Kliff Kingsbury backed out), were viewed as unlikely to make a serious Fields pursuit in February but then — minutes before agreeing to terms with Gardner Minshew — were reconnected to the Ohio State product. Minshew heading to Las Vegas on a two-year, $25MM deal undoubtedly helped push Fields to Pittsburgh, even though the former needed to win a months-long competition to win the Raiders’ starting job.

The 25-year-old passer said his Bears exit interview gave him the impression he would be traded, with QB recalling Bears brass telling him they faced a “tricky situation” due to holding the No. 1 overall pick for a second straight year. This reminded of Poles’ comments to the media shortly after Chicago’s season ended. As expected, the Bears passed on a fourth Fields season by giving the Steelers the fifth-year option decision. Pittsburgh declined the option, but the team is interested in a post-2024 relationship with the dual-threat QB. Although immediate interest in a post-2024 Wilson contract surfaced as well, that seems less likely to come to pass based on this season’s early arc.

The Chargers received inquiries from the Patriots and Vikings on Justin Herbert but shot them down, leaving no doubt about their QB plan in Jim Harbaugh‘s first season. The Ravens’ penchant for employing dual-threat Lamar Jackson backups — from Robert Griffin III to Tyler Huntley — would have made Fields an interesting piece in Baltimore, but he would have seen no route to a starting job there. Every non-Steelers team to discuss Fields with the Bears viewed him as a backup, and the QB told Heyward he was concerned about the musical chairs game that featured a few spots filled during the legal tampering period. (The Steelers obtained Fields five days into free agency.)

As far as Fields’ Steelers situation goes, he may not only to be moving toward being the team’s starter but reaching a place where the club would allow him to play through mistakes (rather than receiving a quick hook), ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Wilson, who battled injuries in Denver, is not yet moving well on his balky calf. This continues to give Fields a runway to win the long-term gig. Even though QBR ranks Fields 21st, he has done enough to keep a defense-powered Steelers team in games.

Fields’ low-octane work does not completely slam the door on Wilson, so it will be a situation to monitor for a while. This could become awkward when Wilson recovers, as the potential Hall of Famer was given some early assurances upon signing. But the vet’s calf injury allowed Fields extensive reps in training camp, where he impressed. And he has continued to gain ground in the weeks since, leading the youngest of Pittsburgh’s passers to the precipice of a QB1 announcement.

Steelers, Russell Wilson Plan To Discuss New Contract After 2024 Season; More On Justin Fields Trade

March 17th, 2024 at 11:18pm CST by Rory Parks

Despite yesterday’s stunning trade that sent Justin Fields from the Bears to the Steelers, the recently-signed Russell Wilson will remain in place as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, head coach Mike Tomlin reached out to Wilson before the trade was finalized to let the nine-time Pro Bowler know that his job is safe.

And, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson and the Steelers are interested in a multiyear arrangement. While Pittsburgh is paying Wilson the veteran minimum on his one-year deal for 2024 — the Broncos are picking up the rest of Wilson’s $39MM tab — player and team are already planning to explore a “longer deal” at the the end of the season.

It would seem a bit premature to make those types of plans. After all, while Wilson’s second year in Denver was much better than his first, his brief stint with the Broncos was generally a disappointing one. And even if the Steelers do not exercise Fields’ fifth-year option for 2025, it is certainly possible that he impresses enough over the course of the upcoming year to convince Tomlin — long rumored to be a Fields fan — that his newest acquisition is worthy of a new contract and a starting role. Plus, Wilson will be 36 by the end of the 2024 campaign, while Fields just turned 25.

Nonetheless, the fact that these reports are even circulating is evidence of the Steelers’ faith in Wilson. And considering that the club is committing so little salary to him and was able to acquire Fields for a sixth-round draft choice — which will only become a fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2024 — the Fields trade will have been worth it even if he simply plays out the season as a high-end insurance policy for Wilson and heads elsewhere next year.

It was not too long ago that Dulac and other Steelers beats unequivocally wrote that the team would not pursue an external addition (like Wilson and Fields) who was eyeing a QB1 role. Per Pro Football Talk, those reports were correct when they were published, but the club has dramatically changed how its views the quarterback position over the past month. During that time, Pittsburgh saw Mason Rudolph sign with the Titans in free agency and subsequently traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. Whether Rudolph’s departure is what triggered the shift in organizational philosophy — Dulac et al. had suggested that Rudolph and Pickett could compete for the starting quarterback job in 2024 — is unclear, but one way or another, the Steelers have overhauled their QB room in a short amount of time, and for minimal cost.

Meanwhile, Chicago fans have Caleb Williams to look forward to in the near future, but the club is doubtlessly disappointed that it was unable to fetch a larger return for Fields, the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft. We heard just last week that the Bears were not panicking even when the market for Fields did not develop as hoped, and as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines, the club should have continued exercising patience. If GM Ryan Poles was willing to accept a 2025 draft choice in exchange for Fields, he might have waited until the 2024 draft was over to see which teams were left without a passer. He might even have kept Fields on the roster, at least as a backup, and waited to collect a compensatory draft pick if and when Fields signed with a different club as a free agent next March.

Perhaps, as Florio suggests, Poles felt that he was doing the right thing for Fields by trading him sooner rather than later. Regardless of his rationale, Poles did confirm in a statement after the trade was announced that he had been exploring a deal for weeks.

The statement, issued by the club’s official X feed, reads, “We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is what is best for both Justin and the Bears. Today we spoke to Justin to inform him of the trade and the rationale behind it for us as a Club. We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and all he poured into our franchise and community the last three years and wish him the best towards a long and successful NFL career.”

Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, five teams contacted the Bears to dicuss a Fields trade, though all of those clubs viewed Fields as a backup. Poles had hoped that the 2021 trade that sent Sam Darnold from the Jets to the Panthers in exchange for a 2021 sixth-rounder, a 2022 second-rounder, and a 2022 fourth-rounder would provide a framework for a Fields deal, but at the time, Carolina clearly viewed Darnold as a starter. Since rival teams did not feel the same way about Fields, Poles elected to resolve the matter quickly and to start the Williams era with a clean slate.

Latest On Steelers’ QB Situation, Possible Justin Fields Pursuit

February 25th, 2024 at 10:31pm CST by Rory Parks

Last week, we heard that the Steelers were interested in re-signing quarterback Mason Rudolph and having him compete with 2022 first-rounder Kenny Pickett to be the club’s starting signal-caller. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that, even if the Steelers are unsuccessful in their pursuit of a Rudolph re-up, the club will not consider an external addition who is eyeing a QB1 role. Naturally, that would rule out a passer like Justin Fields, who is widely expected to be traded by the Bears.

On the same day that Dulac’s piece was published, however, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required) wrote that Pittsburgh will, in fact, acquire via trade or free agency a quarterback who can push Pickett for the starting job, and that such a quarterback would be “more than a stopgap.” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is reportedly a fan of Fields, and Fowler said that the rumblings connecting Fields to Pittsburgh are intensifying.

For a team like Pittsburgh that, as Fowler observes, could be just a quarterback away from championship contention, adding a clear upgrade over Pickett would make plenty of sense. But Mark Kaboly of The Athletic is aligned with Dulac, his fellow Steelers beat writer (subscription required). Kaboly confidently avers that the team is not going to go after Fields, and that while there may be a competition between Rudolph and Pickett if Rudolph is re-signed, Pickett will get one last chance to prove his worth before Pittsburgh looks outside the organization.

While these starkly contrasting reports between a national writer and two beats add to the uncertainty of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, it continues to look like there is no uncertainty concerning Fields’ future in Chicago. Though the Ohio State product recently said he would like to remain with the Bears — as relayed by Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times — Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune does not believe there is any internal debate as to whether the club should keep Fields in lieu of using its No. 1 overall draft choice (or a slightly lower choice in the event of a small trade down) on a top collegiate prospect. Rather, the real question is simply which passer in the 2024 draft class the Bears like the best.

Per Biggs, it is at least conceivable that the Bears retain Fields if they do not find a trade offer to their liking, but a trade is their preference. Previous reports have indicated that the team would finalize its QB plan one way or another by the start of the scouting combine (which opens tomorrow), and it sounds as if that plan is indeed to seek a suitor for Fields. Biggs says there is no disconnect on that point between GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren.

Expect plenty more Chicago-related rumors this week as team brass discusses its incumbent passer — and perhaps the No. 1 selection in the upcoming draft — with rival clubs.

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