Happy Friday Chicago!
Back from vacation, and ready to roll. We’ve got a lot to talk about.
On Monday, I woke up, saw myself in the mirror, was stunned and concerned for a second at the look of my face, and then realized I had just gotten a little tan. It turns out it was not high blood pressure or an aneurysm I was having, just some good color.
That was awesome. It’s already gone.
On Saturday, the Justin Fields era came to an end in a fitting way. After endlessly reading and talking about the Bears decision for the last three months, I woke up from a catnap to a friend casually saying, “Wow, Fields got traded to the Steelers.”
My dad texted me two days prior that “You heard it here first, the Bears were keeping Fields the whole time.” We love to see an amateur news breaker take his licks early on. Keep your nose to the grindstone, kid!
We’ll get to Fields, of course.
Today, though, the kickoff of March Madness has got me in an unusually good mood. Would I have liked to watch more than 5 minutes of the games today during work? Of course.
But I have work team that probably thinks March Madness is a silly alliteration referring to springtime weather, so I keep my excitement to myself. There’s no leaving work early around here to catch the games at the bar.
Still, the idea that it’s even on elicits warmth. The games playing on mute in the background makes me feel safe, like hearing a party going on at my neighbors as a kid while I was in bed.
Kentucky was in my national championship, but them losing is a net positive. Calipari losing in March is an annual enjoyment. And more importantly, I can get drunk and tell everyone I see Saturday that I had them in my championship.
Right after I tell people about my Kentucky pick, I’ll then ask them if they heard about this Shohei Ohtani betting scandal? And, right when the “Y” on the yes starts coming out of their mouths, I’ll interrupt them and scream DUDE, I TOOK HIM FIRST IN MY FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE!
I’ll have random guys bringing their friends over to me, saying “Dude, tell him what you told me.”
And I’ll go, again — “So, I got this tan in Palm Springs, me and the boys went crazy and I hit a couple of awesome golf shots (want to see them, I video’d a few?), and then I took Kentucky to go to the natty, but they lost in the first round! Then I took Ohtani in the first round of my fantasy baseball league (Look!) and now he’s caught up in that scandal…
People won’t be able to get enough of me. And then we’ll all talk about whether the Bears made the right move, our favorite and most recent Joe Rogan podcasts, and maybe even mix in some is-bitcoin-back chatter.
Anyone want to meet up?
See you then. But first, we’ve got a lot to talk about.
Let’s go.
The End Of An Era
Let me pour myself another glass of scotch, and I’ll be right back.
The end of the Justin Fields-Caleb Williams debate era sort of feels, to me, like when an elderly loved one with dementia finally passes away.
It’s sad to see them (and Justin go), but it’s also somewhat of a relief to have things come to an end.
And that relief makes me feel a bit guilty in both cases.
I want the Bears to draft Caleb Williams, and I had come to that conclusion a couple of months ago. But that has exactly zero to do with my thoughts on Justin Fields.
I’ll never forget how ecstatic I was when the Bears drafted him, and I’ll never forget some of the games he had: in Pittsburgh his rookie year, in New England last year, at home against Miami last year, this year at home and on the road against the Lions, among others.
Those games, to me, were like trying a substance for the first time, but without any throw up. A completely new euphoria of having a young, exciting quarterback that you felt could win you a game.
The people that have made Fields out to be an incompetent, bad quarterback who never deserved consideration as the future starter have their heads so far buried in what became a tribal, political debate that they washed away those plays and memories.
Realistically, the vast majority of Bears fans would feel good about Fields moving forward — with this talent, with this revamped coaching staff — had it not been for the Bears owning a top-5 pick, much less the No. 1 overall pick.
That unique situation — a 7-win team owning the 1st pick, with a cemented No. 1 overall QB in this year’s draft — is the reasoning for all that has transpired.
For fans making Fields out to be a bum.
For the Bears trading him at all.
For the Bears only getting a 6th-round (or 4th-round) pick for him.
All of that is tied to the fact that the Bears are in one of the most advantageous situations they’ve been in in the modern history of the franchise.
Fields was thrown into the fire with a lame duck, dysfunctional coaching staff in his rookie year. He’s lucky he didn’t get killed in his first game ever in Cleveland. In his second year, the team was systematically trying to lose. His third year, for all intents and purposes, was his first go at it — and he still was under an incompetent offensive coaching staff, and ended up with a broken wrist.
To agree on all the matters above, and then throw stats at me to prove why Fields is not capable of being a good starting quarterback in the league is disingenuous.
So is using the “trade market” for him as a vantage point. Again, everyone in the league knew the Bears weren’t passing up on Williams. Why would anyone give up significant draft capital for Fields with that understanding?
It is now a known fact the Bears were working with Fields to grant him the best landing spot, meaning they could have gotten a better deal in return (more on this later).
I am very confident Fields will play a great deal next year. Whether he gets to the 51% of snaps required to turn the 6th-round pick from the Steelers into a 4th-round pick will depend on how stubborn the Pittsburgh coaching staff is. He gives them the best chance to win.
Why did more teams not want him? Who knows who did, and who didn’t. But it’s also worth noting that virtually every team passed on giving Lamar Jackson a contract last offseason, and he promptly won another MVP (I’m not comparing the two).
I have no qualms about rooting for Fields at his next stop, particularly because I am extremely confident Caleb Williams is going to supplant him as the most enjoyable quarterback to watch ever, from a Bears perspective.
The Bears had their hands tied on the trade, to a certain extent. If they pulled the trigger earlier, they may have yielded a better return.
But as we all threw steak knives at each other on the best course of action at the quarterback position, I think everyone else in the NFL with any sense knew what the Bears were doing next. That means they had just about zero leverage.
Hanging onto him into training camp would have been toxic and nonsensical. For good reason, Fields’ teammates love him. Bringing a rookie into the same QB room as an incumbent-turned-backup would have been a disaster. If there’s one thing the Bears don’t get right — time, and again — it’s culture. This was the right move for the culture, and I’m sure the front office never even considered the option of keeping both.
The Bears clearly feel the same way about Fields as I do, which is why they worked with him to find the right trade partner. It probably cost them.
I completely understand and respect that decision on the Bears end. But do I agree with it? I’m not so sure.
I agree with the intention, but if they believe that that good karma will come around when it comes to another player dealing, I got bad news for them.
No team in professional sports has ever made one of these moves and benefitted from it later on. Want to know who gets the good players to come play for them? The teams that offer the most money. No agent will say, “You saw how they treated Fields, take a $2 million pay cut and go there.”
Alternatively, you may get a veteran player to come play for you for less if you are a championship-level team.
The Bears have not been that for nearly 20 years.
Ultimately, the Bears front office could have handled the Fields trade better. How much better? I think this is a more marginal difference than most people do.
Not to be dramatic, but Fields died for our sins. In an era when we didn’t have a chance at winning many games — and there was front office turnover, HR violations and a largely inept offensive line — he gave us something to enjoy. I’ll always appreciate him for that. So long, partner.
But, now that the Band-Aid is ripped off, I am allowing myself to become increasingly enthralled by the thought of the best QB in the best QB draft class in a long time wearing a Bears uniform — and joining a halfway decent team, to boot!
I’ve covered the painted nails and the crying. I don’t give a fuuuuuuuck. What I do care about is him being as genuine and tough of a dude as Fields. For a long time, I wasn’t sure he could be that.
Recently, his demeanor has changed, and I think his critics are largely picking nits at this point. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and watching his highlights is a euphoric experience from a Bears-fan perspective.
He’s also in the rare situation where he’ll have more time to throw at the next level. Whereas a lot of these guys come up and have to adjust to not having a premier offensive line blocking inferior defensive lines, he’ll have to adjust to not having to get out of the pocket 1.5 seconds after the snap like he had to last year at USC.
The truth is, both the Bears and Williams are lucky. Though lucky isn’t the best way to put it on the Bears end. Accepting the Panthers deal was a savvy foreshadow. But the Bears have had the no. 1 pick two years in a row, and have had their pick of the litter at their next QB.
Williams, as the no. 1 pick, will be joining a team that had playoff hopes three-fourths of the way into last year. That’s basically unprecedented.
I don’t need to spend any time on the nonsense that Williams should ask to not be drafted by the Bears. Not only is there the aforementioned facts about the Bears position, but any team that has picked no. 1 over the last two decades has been as dysfunctional as the Bears as an organization.
Don’t make me defend the Bears as an organization any longer.
Plus, he’ll have weapons that the Bears haven’t had since they had Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte and Martellus Bennet over a decade ago.
The Bears dealing Keenan Allen for a fourth rounder was just such a solid, shrewd move. He’s the type of veteran, second receiver the Bears have lacked for their younger QBs for years. The subsequent contract may raise eyebrows, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.
There were about three backs I’d rather have — some at lower price points — than D'Andre Swift, but at least he’s a versatile back that can get out of the backfield. It’s true that the Bears did not have a player near his level on the roster, but over $15 million guaranteed to a non-top-tier running back makes me queasy.
But, on the other end, with how far the salary cap went up, there’s some inflation baked in there.
All of this is to say that not only will Williams be joining a team that was average last year, he’ll also be joining a team with legitimate offensive weapons. That’s not even mentioning Cole Kmet, a new — and far better — tight end 2 in Gerald Everett, and a far improved offensive line (particularly with the addition of former Rams center Coleman Shelton).
In the end, there are three current certainties around the Bears. Firstly, they are in great position. Secondly, they could fuck it all up. And, thirdly, most Bears fans are missing the forest for the trees, almost ignoring the first certainty.
We’re an abused fan base. So it’s understandable that, after being locked away in a basement for a decade, we don’t know how to enjoy the fresh air.
Look around — there’s the sun, there’s the lake! There’s an ice cold beer, waiting for you.
It’s a great time to be a Bears fan. Here I am, shaking your shoulders, telling you: Don’t miss it!
Given my missing last week, I’ll have to push a full “Welcome to Baseball Season” newsletter until next week.
For now, we’ve got to go over some of the current goings on, and namely the White Sox pulling the trigger on a Dylan Cease trade.
Cease going to the Padres leaves the 2024 White Sox with exactly one remaining legitimate major league asset.
The return for him makes a lot of sense. I think Cease is probably closer to his 2022 as a guy than he is his 2023, but more likely somewhere in the middle. Ace-level stuff if he’s locked in, and somewhat unpredictable throughout a full year.
In return, the Padres gave up prospects Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, Samuel Zavala and the 29-year-old Steven Wilson.
The 23-year-old Thorpe was one of the prospects that the Padres received in the Juan Soto trade with the Yankees. He has a very solid Double A year last year, with a 2.52 ERA and a 4.79 strikeout-to-walk ration.
Iriarte is a less notable, but very solid, pitching prospect. Both immediately bolster the Sox farm system pitching.
The 19-year-old Zavala hasn’t gone crazy from a statistical perspective, but a lot of the guys keyed in on prospects are cautiously high on him.
Here’s Keith Law, writing for The Athletic:
Zavala is the big wild card here for Chicago, offering the highest ceiling of the three guys coming back, with huge variance in his potential outcomes and in opinions on him across the industry. He’s got a real approach at the plate, drawing 96 walks last year and posting a .267/.420/.451 line as an 18-year-old in Low A. He was one of just six 18-year-olds to play a full season in the minors in 2023. He’s got the bat speed to hit better pitching, but it’s a long swing with some extra movement he needs to cut down, so he doesn’t repeat his swing path that well pitch to pitch.
Here’s how Fangraphs ranks these prospects within the White Sox system:
— Iriarte at no. 5 overall
— Thorpe at no. 6 overall
— Zavala at no. 21 overall
Of course the Sox could have gotten far more for Cease at one period of time, but outside of last trade deadline, they were never in a position where they probably felt like giving up their best pitcher was sensical.
Now, they’re in that position.
Unlike the Bulls, they decided to part ways with Cease before he got hurt, instead of after.
The White Sox may reach so-bad-they’re-fun-to-watch territory this year. Baseball is here.
More on them, and the Cubs, next week.
The Bulls “road to .500” is populated only by my car and a few others. It’s not for the faint of heart.
Again, there was a chance Thursday night to hit .500 against a beatable Rockets team. That chance perished by the end of the first quarter.
The Bulls have now sat at the no. 9 seed for months, meaning they’ll be in the same position they were in the last year, only they’ll be hosting a play-in game with the chance to play another one. I’ll be there, with my face painted with clown makeup.
The most notable recent development — by far — is Ayo Dosunmu’s play. Over the last three games, he’s averaging over 30 points! and 7 assists. His averages have improved by the month, and since the beginning of February, he’s averaging about 17 and 5 with a steal on over 50% shooting.
Ass backwards as the route may have been, the Bulls have found themselves two really nice young players in Coby White and Dosunmu. Both of their confidence levels have skyrocketed this year with LaVine out of the lineup.
For now, though, the road to .500 continues. And I’m getting drowsy.
Thanks for reading another edition of Still Gotta Come Through Chicago. Comment below, tell you friends, and I’ll see you all next week!
They should have traded him immediately. Since they waited, the Cousins and Wilson scenarios came into play which significantly affected his value. Bet on the fact that you will see him as a consistent starter somewhere in the league. I liked the kid and I hate the people valuing him based on that trade.
And if Williams succeeds, I don't want to hear people saying "see, he is so much better than Fields". As I heard an analyst say this morning, "Caleb Williams will be the recipient of the best situation a Number 1 QB Draft Pick has ever come into."
Hey Andrew, I totally respect Justin Fields and Ryan Poles. I understand the situation. HOWEVER.... Poles job is to make the best deal for the Bears team, NOT make Fields happy, He is in the business of winning football games. If (and I believe he did) pass up a better trade, shame on him. Trading players is a tough business sometimes....his job is to make the best deal, bottom line. Another great article !!