Former Bears signal caller Chase Daniel joined NBC Sports Chicago's “Football Night in Chicago” on Tuesday to give his thoughts on the Justin Fields trade and Caleb Williams' prospects.
Daniel is a big fan of Fields and was hoping the Bears would keep Fields and trade the No. 1 pick for a haul to build around him. He believes Fields will only get better by playing on the team that Ryan Bulls and the Bears are currently building this offseason.
“If you put the pieces that you put around the No. 1 pick, around Justin, I feel like he would have been better,” Daniel said. “He's gotten more comfortable in the pocket. He's processed things at a much higher rate. He's won the locker room. He's won the city.”
Former Bears QB Chase Daniel joins Football Night in Chicago to talk about how things could have turned out if the Bears kept Justin Fields
it's the truth. Fields had the hearts of all his teammates in the locker room, as well as the city fans. They are all attracted to the same things. Anyone can appreciate and respect his work ethic, leadership, and toughness.
It's also true that Fields will likely improve with the additions the Bears bring in this offseason. They notably acquired Keenan Allen, De'Andre Swift, and Gerald Everett. They also re-signed Jaylon Johnson and signed Kevin Byard to replace Eddie Jackson on defense.
Instead, the Bears elected to trade him to the Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick that could change to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays at least 51% of the snaps with the Steelers this season.
Initially, most suspected the Bears could return a second or third-round pick for Fields. But unfortunately, the Bears traded him to Pittsburgh for a sixth player, which is a very low return, according to Daniels.
“Why couldn't you keep him for maybe a few more months?” Daniel asked. “I understand that your privilege and your job is to try to take care of a player in Justin Fields and put him in the right position… but if you keep him in training camp, maybe preseason, or maybe the second or third week of the season… there were 13-14 different starters that were exposed… “You've been hurt in the past year. The value of your trade has gone up dramatically.”
Former Bears QB Chase Daniel joins Football Night in Chicago to talk about how much the Bears could have gotten for Justin Fields
A recent report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport revealed that Fields could have been traded to one of four different teams outside of the Steelers who offered Bears assets in exchange for Fields. Instead, Fields and his representative requested that he be sent to Pittsburgh, where the Bears' running back was eventually waived to please Fields.
But in terms of timing, it's hard to suggest that Fields and the No. 1 overall pick, assuming the Bears draft a quarterback, could coexist in the same environment. As Daniels said, Fields has captured the emotions of the locker room, which will make it difficult for them to accept the newcomer while Fields remains in the building, in theory.
Surely, would the Bears have gotten a better return for Fields had they waited after the NFL draft or at the start of the season? no doubt. But that's not what the NFL's Bears promised Fields when they said they intended to “do right” by him.
This means getting him as quickly as possible to his preferred destination so he can start the next chapter of his career as quickly and smoothly as possible. This doesn't happen if you hold on to it out of greed for a better price.
However, the Fields trade opened the door for the Bears to take the quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Who would that be? All signs point to USC's Caleb Williams.
Daniel suggests the Bears could be a killer team as soon as possible next season with the pieces they have ready to back up Williams or whatever quarterback they bring in.
“I think the pieces around him are probably his best asset, as far as the No. 1 pick that went to the team in the last decade,” Daniel said. “… This to me, in terms of the players around them, the coaching staff, the defense, this is easily the best. So it better play well and you better play well right away.”
Former Bears QB Chase Daniel joins Football Night in Chicago to talk about the high expectations for Bears' presumptive No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams
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