Nick Foles

Justin Fields doesn't plan on starting his NFL career on the bench.

"I think everybody on our team should be striving for a starting job and if you're not, then there's no reason for you to be here," the Chicago Bears quarterback told reporters Friday. "So, of course, I'm going to do everything that I can to get that starting job. It's not up to me, coach Nagy has a set plan on my development and stuff like that. I'm just gonna work hard and keep my head down and just keep grinding it out every day."

While the team has Andy Dalton and Nick Foles as veteran options at the position, Bears fans can be forgiven if they want to see the rookie on the field as soon as possible.

After all, this organization is starving for a franchise quarterback. Even the 1985 team that won the Bears' only Super Bowl title was far more reliant on running back Walter Payton and the defense than Jim McMahon. Elsewhere, Jay Cutler is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards but had a middling 51-51 record as a starter.

Hall of Famer Sid Luckman played in the 1940s when the passing attack was far different, and the organization is still recovering from the decision to draft Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 ahead of Patrick Mahomes.

That means the pressure will be on Fields, but that is nothing new for the Ohio State product.

"I've been kinda in the spotlight since high school, so I kinda feel like I'm made for this," Fields said. "I'm built for this. It's nothing new to me, I'm just gonna continue to work hard and continue to get better every day."

He was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and played under the spotlight at big-time college programs in Ohio State and Georgia.

Fields will surely be on the field in the relatively near future considering Chicago traded up to draft him at No. 11. While he wants to start Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, throwing him out there against Aaron Donald in his first NFL game may not be Matt Nagy's long-term plan.

The Chicago Bears are going to have an expensive quarterback room in 2021, especially with Nick Foles signed to a deal that's not easy to move at this point. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Foles' contract is "extremely difficult" to trade because he's guaranteed $4 million this season and $5 million in 2022. 

The Bears began the offseason by signing Andy Dalton to a one-year deal worth $10 million. He was pegged as the starting quarterback by general manager Ryan Pace. 

"He's a 9-year starter," Pace told reporters on April 2. "He's been to three Pro Bowls. We feel like we've gotten better with Andy."

Chicago made a big move during the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, acquiring the No. 11 overall pick from the New York Giants to select Justin Fields. 

The Bears view Fields as their long-term starting quarterback, but Pace reiterated on Thursday night that Dalton is still going to lead the offense in 2021.

"Matt [Nagy] has spoken to Andy Dalton tonight; that communication and clarity for us is really important," Pace told reporters. "Andy is our starter, and we're gonna have a really good plan in place to develop Justin and do what's best for our organization and win games."

Chicago acquired Foles in a March 2020 trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's got a $6.7 million cap hit this season and a $10.7 million cap hit in 2022. The former Pro Bowler threw for 1,852 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in nine appearances last season. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are a potential landing spot for Nick Foles if the Chicago Bears trade the quarterback, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Saturday (via John Clark of NBC Sports).

It would be Foles' third stint with the Eagles after beginning his career in Philadelphia from 2012 to 2014 then returning in 2017-18. He was named the 2018 Super Bowl MVP after he took over for an injured Carson Wentz in 2017 and led the team to a championship.

The Eagles stuck with Wentz, but he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.

Jalen Hurts—the team's 2020 second-round draft pick–will presumably go into next season as the starting quarterback, but the Eagles could use another proven player to fill the quarterback room.

Foles would bring plenty of experience, although he has struggled since leaving the Eagles.

The 32-year-old signed a four-year, $88 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, but he suffered an early injury and eventually lost his starting job to Gardner Minshew. He made four total starts and threw just three touchdown passes with two interceptions.

After getting a fresh start with the Chicago Bears, he lost his job once again to Mitchell Trubisky and threw 10 touchdown passes in nine appearances in 2020. Over the past two years, the quarterback produced a 81.8 quarterback rating while going 2-9 as a starter.

Chicago signed Andy Dalton this offseason, who told reporters he is expecting to be the starter in 2021.

It makes Foles expendable, especially with a $6.67 million cap hit next season. Reuniting the veteran with the Eagles could be a perfect fit for all parties.

The Chicago Bears and Mitchell Trubisky could be headed for an amicable divorce.

ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler wrote the Bears' "plan" is to allow Trubisky to leave in free agency and address their quarterback concerns via free agency or trade.

"We're told the door is open slightly, but a source said the ship has sailed for both parties," Graziano and Fowler wrote.

However, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk contradicted that report, relaying that a "source with direct knowledge" said a return had not been ruled out and that Trubisky "has not been informed that the Bears won’t attempt to bring him back."

Trubisky is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the Bears declined their fifth-year option on his rookie contract and chose to use the franchise tag on Allen Robinson.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace told reporters earlier in March that "everything is on the table" when it came to the quarterback position.

"That includes players on our current roster, that includes free agency, trade, the draft and a combination of all those," Pace said. "We have a plan in place, and now it's about executing that plan."

The quarterback is perhaps the most notable failure of Pace's tenure as general manager. The North Carolina product, taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, failed to develop into a franchise face while classmates Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson emerged as two of the biggest young stars in the sport.

Trubisky threw for 10,609 yards and 64 touchdowns against 37 interceptions while leading the Bears to a 29-21 record in 50 career starts. The Bears benched him early in the 2020 season in favor of Nick Foles before turning the keys back over to Trubisky in the second half, leading to a surprising playoff appearance.

Trubisky went 6-3 as a starter in 2020 and is far from a lost cause. He's still flashed the physical skills that made the Bears fall for him at various points, but he's never been able to put it together consistently.

Perhaps a change of scenery is the thing Trubisky needs to turn around his career.

The Chicago Bears may have used the franchise tag on wide receiver Allen Robinson, but that doesn't mean he'll be wearing a uniform anytime soon.

Robinson has "zero plans" to sign the franchise tag in the "immediate future" and may wind up holding out if negotiations go poorly, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter:

"Allen Robinson, I'm told, has zero plans to sign his franchise tag in the immediate future. So considering their contract negotiations in the fall did not go well, this could drag out a long while where Robinson doesn't show up, doesn't sign that tag. Because when they talked in the past, the Bears made clear they have no plans to give him that top dollar at wide receiver. You know, that $20 million range that the best players now get.

"So not only would Robinson like to see that change, he'd like some clarity on the quarterback situation as well. He's had spotty play there the last three years in Chicago, and there's no clear-cut answer on the roster right now. And so, Robinson has that $18 million tag waiting for him whenever he does sign—if he signs."

Robinson is under no obligation to join the Bears until he signs the tag. He could theoretically sit out all of the team's offseason programs and preseason games without missing a paycheck. We've seen several high-profile stars forgo offseason programs when tagged in recent seasons, and Le'Veon Bell famously sat out the entire 2018 season rather than play on the tag.

The Bears likely knew they were bracing for a potentially contentious situation when they franchised Robinson. There were rumors he asked for a trade last season, and the Penn State product expressed frustration with the status of negotiations in a February interview with Tyler Dunne.

"Unfortunately we've come to what seems to be a fork in the road," Robinson said. "But not even a fork. We haven't even been given a viable option to be able to do those things that we want to do without sacrificing a ridiculous amount pretty much for the rest of my career."

Robinson recorded 102 receptions for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. No other Bears receiver had more than 631 yards. Despite a lack of progression from Mitchell Trubisky, Robinson has been among the NFL's most productive receivers during his three years in Chicago and clearly wants to be paid like one of the game's best.

The tag would give Robinson an $18 million base salary for 2021, which is likely below his average annual salary demands in a long-term deal. Four different receivers have an annual salary averaging $20 million, which seems about right as a baseline expectation for Robinson.

If the Bears aren't willing to reach that price (or more) in a long-term deal, things could get contentious between now and the July 15 extension deadline.

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to trade quarterback Carson Wentz, a reunion with Wentz's former backup could be in the offing.

Howard Eskin of Sports Radio 94 WIP reported one proposal would see Nick Foles and Tarik Cohen come to Philadelphia along with a first-round pick for Wentz and a draft pick. Cohen has since taken to social media, saying he spoke with Bears management, and they informed him that he would not be traded.

Foles had two previous stints with the Eagles (2012-14 and 2017-18) and famously led the team to a Super Bowl LII championship in place of an injured Wentz.

Eagles fans have understandably shown a continued fondness for Foles despite his struggles since that Super Bowl run. Foles threw for 1,852 yards and 10 touchdowns against eight interceptions last season with the Bears, grading out as one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks in nearly every advanced and standard metric.

If brought back into the fold, Foles would likely serve as a backup to Jalen Hurts. Foles' contract is fully guaranteed for the 2021 season, paying him a $4 million base salary. He is also guaranteed at least $1 million of his 2022 salary. 

The Eagles have seemingly settled on trading Wentz sooner rather than later following a falling out between the former franchise quarterback and the organization. It seemed like Wentz would return in 2021 after the firing of coach Doug Pederson, but the red-hot quarterback trade market appears to have changed things.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Bears and Indianapolis Colts are among the teams aggressively pursuing a Wentz trade. Both the Bears and Colts have strong, potentially Super Bowl-caliber rosters but have a glaring need for a quarterback.

Wentz is coming off the worst season of his career, throwing for 2,620 yards and 16 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 2020, but is still just 28 years old and a year removed from looking like a franchise quarterback. 

Culture, collaboration, process. 

With those three anemic buzzwords, the Chicago Bears tried—and failed—to market a six-game losing streak as a legitimate reason general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy are keeping their jobs for another season. 

During an 87-minute press conference Wednesday, chairman George McCaskey, president and CEO Ted Phillips, Pace and Nagy used culture seven times, collaboration nine times and process 18 times. After another national TV game featuring a downright offensive lack of offense, McCaskey decided not to fire anybody. This franchise is among the most directionless in the league, but it will stay the course, whatever that course is.

The word adversity popped up just as often as collaboration did. NFL teams have long made a habit of hiding behind the former to avoid culpability for what they are really describing: self-inflicted failure. 

"The popular opinion is to make a change because we hit adversity," Phillips said. 

The Bears "hit adversity" because they played bad football and lost football games. It's not random. It's not luck. The rival Packers, a team that should serve as a measuring stick, beat Chicago by 16 and 19 points. The Bears went 2-4 in the NFC North. 

"In life, you get challenged a little bit," Nagy said. "We all get challenged in different ways of how are we going to react. What I think it taught me as a head coach is that we have a group of guys that we've built over the last couple years here, and Ryan has built since he's got here, and it's taken time to be able to get through moments like that."

Reporters asked 12 questions about the most important issue looming over the Bears: the quarterback situation. What do you see as the most important part of the quarterback evaluation process? Why do you have confidence in Ryan to take a swing at the next quarterback? What have you identified as the missteps to be avoided going forward in this next pursuit of a franchise quarterback? Will you explore re-signing Mitch?

Yet, in return, the Bears brass talked around the topic and did not give a concrete answer, except to say that "everything is on the table" when it comes to acquiring a quarterback and that they know they need to get more out of the position, which seems to be an admission that they don't view Mitchell Trubisky as the best solution for next season.

Pace was asked what he learned specifically from picking Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017 (and trading up for Trubisky, an error that several sources I'd spoken to around the league felt certain would cost Pace his job). The general manager gave a winding answer that ended with the Bears' unofficial 2021 team slogan: collaboration.

"I think not to get fixated on the past, we're focused on the future, but I think you're right," he said. "You always have to learn through every one of these experiences and what we go through, and we can talk about that today. I think as I reflect back—and you're going to hear this word a lot today, because it's true, is collaboration; the collaboration that Matt and I have. I just have a lot of confidence in doing that together because it's boded well for us in other positions we've selected." 

Despite saying he would talk about what he learned, Pace didn't actually talk about what he learned, and that's alarming. He needs to be fixated on the past so that he doesn't repeat the mistakes he made in drafting and committing to Trubisky. (Zeroing in on one quarterback early in the process, projecting too much just based on the prospect's athletic traits, not drafting another quarterback since then when it's been clear for two years that Trubisky is not the guy.) 

Pace was asked the question again later in the press conference, and that time more specifically about what led to his misevaluation, and he still wouldn't answer, saying only that taking on the task together with Bears coaches gives him confidence. Before drafting Trubisky, Pace took a swing and missed on another quarterback in March 2017. He signed veteran Mike Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract that surprised many around the league, since other teams' interest in Glennon didn't seem to be serious enough to force that number.

That "collaboration" was the word of the day was pretty funny, given that in 2017, the vast majority of the coaching and scouting staff, even executives and coordinators, were clueless that Trubisky was even in consideration for the Bears' first-round pick until the phone call was made.

The one small hope for the franchise's future at the position is that Nagy will be a better evaluator of quarterback talent than Pace. Nagy was the Chiefs offensive coordinator when Kansas City selected Mahomes. But when he was asked about what the most important factor is in evaluating quarterbacks, he wouldn't give a straight answer. And Pace and Nagy are already 0-1 when collaborating to acquire a quarterback. The trade for veteran Nick Foles, who famously had experience in Nagy's system, has been an outright failure.

This postseason press conference was one big orchestration to shift blame and to try to sell the decision to keep everything status quo, but the Bears' message missed the mark. Someone should have told McCaskey, Phillips, Pace and Nagy that it's OK to be honest. It's OK to tell the truth and admit that this season revealed some ugly realities about a team good enough to sneak into an expanded playoff field but bad enough that McCaskey admitted to receiving emails from fans demanding he fire somebody.

There's no starting quarterback to speak of, Nagy and offensive coaches failed to develop Trubisky over the last three seasons, there's no young quarterback developing on the roster, the offense struggled to find an identity as Nagy's first-half-of-the-season play-calling didn't suit Trubisky, the offensive line couldn't hold up when Foles was starting, and the defense has shown evidence that it may be past its championship window. There's limited cap space, and the Bears will pick 20th in the 2021 draft. 

"The fans just want to have answers and real, honest talk," said former Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long, who called in to vent to Chicago sports radio station 670 The Score. A parade of angry callers marked the station's coverage, and one show block was dedicated to picking another NFL team to root for. (The Bills and Browns were popular choices.) 

In one of Pace's tangents about culture, he amazingly spun the six-game losing streak as real proof that this is a good team with a promising future. "I do think there's a lot of teams in this league that would not come out of the six-game stretch we went through," he said. "And I think that speaks to—you say culture, but I think it speaks to the coaches, and I think it speaks to the young talent on our team."

Well, he's right about one thing. There aren't many teams that can recover from a six-game losing streak, because there aren't many that get themselves into the position in the first place.

There were only two other teams that faced a six-game losing streak this season: The 2-14 Jets, who fired head coach Adam Gase, and the 1-15 Jaguars, who fired head coach Doug Marrone and general manager David Caldwell. 

The list of teams that didn't lose six games in a row yet still fired leadership this season is a lot longer: 

• The 4-12 Texans fired Bill O'Brien.
• The 4-11-1 Eagles fired Doug Pederson.
• The 4-12 Falcons fired Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
• The 7-9 Chargers fired Anthony Lynn.
• The 5-11 Lions fired Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. 

And by the way, the 8-8 Bears pulled themselves out of that losing streak by finding an offensive explosion against three of the worst defenses in the NFL: the Texans, Vikings and Jaguars. They continued to lose to strong teams: Green Bay and then New Orleans in the playoffs. 

"Frankly, I don't know that a lot of people have confidence in this course of action," McCaskey said. "But sometimes you have to take the route that you think is best, even if...when it's not the most popular decision." 

McCaskey took over as Bears chairman in 2011. He owns just two winning records in his time in the position: 12-4 in 2018 with Nagy and Pace, and 10-6 in 2012 with head coach Lovie Smith, who was fired after the season when the Bears missed the playoffs. Since firing Smith, the Bears have only had one winning season, and under McCaskey's leadership, Chicago has been perfectly and consistently mediocre—with four 8-8 campaigns—and have hired and fired two unsuccessful head coaches, Marc Trestman and John Fox, in between Smith and Nagy.

McCaskey said he leans on other NFL franchise owners for advice on decisions like the one he faced in determining whether he should retain Phillips, Pace and Nagy. 

"Well, there are a number of people that I trust and respect in the league, just a few of them, certainly not an inclusive list, are John Mara, Art Rooney and Michael Bidwill," McCaskey said. "They have been through these type of situations, and it's an unusual dynamic in the NFL I think. I think people are reluctant to tell other people how they should run their business, but those three in particular have been very helpful whenever I've had a question or a concern or ask them for advice or to share their experiences. I've found their feedback to be very helpful."

One league executive said it's not common for NFL franchise owners to bounce firing decisions off one another but that McCaskey, Rooney, Mara and Bidwell make up a tight clique that has a reputation for being more old-school and conservative regarding decision-making.

Along with the Bears, the Steelers, Giants and Cardinals are among the league's oldest franchises, and the teams have been owned by the same family for all or nearly all of their existence. "That is not the group where you are like, 'Hey, we are going to go push the envelope!'" the executive said. 

Within that context, McCaskey's decision to stay the course isn't surprising. He trusts Pace and Nagy to find the franchise quarterback who has eluded the Bears long before their arrival, and three times already under Pace's watch. After an hour-and-half press conference, there are few details as to how they will do it or how long they will do it for. (McCaskey, Phillips and Pace all dodged a question on how many years were left on Pace and Nagy's contracts.)

One thing we do know: It'll be a process, you know, the collaborative type.