NFC Notes: Matt LaFleur, Justin Fields, Kevin Oโ€™Connell, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Bears

The Bears have a series of huge decisions coming this offseason. Chicago has to decide whether to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick they got from last yearโ€™s trade with the Panthers, or whether to stick with former first-round QB Justin Fields.

A front office source acknowledged Fields has not made things any easier with his improvement, telling ESPNโ€™s Courtney Cronin and Jeremy Fowler Fieldsโ€™ โ€œspecialโ€ playmaking has โ€œabsolutelyโ€ made things harder on Chicago. 

But while Fields has improved and clearly has a lot of potential, his numbers are still underwhelming relative to the overall league landscape at the position. 

โ€œI just think we know what he is at this point โ€” a great athlete and playmaker who misses some throws he shouldnโ€™t or doesnโ€™t always take the throws available to him,โ€ one NFC executive told ESPN. โ€œYou can win some games with him, and heโ€™s got some elements to his game that are really impressive, but itโ€™s not sustainable long-term from a pocket-passing standpoint, in my opinion.โ€

What makes things complicated is even if the Bears shared that opinion โ€” and itโ€™s not clear they do โ€” Fields has won over the locker room and a significant portion of the fanbase. After this past Sundayโ€™s win over the Falcons, there were chants of โ€œWe want Fieldsโ€ from the fans. 

โ€œNo one in here thinks Justinโ€™s not a top quarterback,โ€ one veteran player told ESPN. โ€œNo one would tell you that. Everyone believes heโ€™s a top-10 quarterback in the league.โ€

โ€œ[He] has had the city on his shoulders since he came in [and has been a] true professional,โ€ Bears CB Jaylon Johnson added. โ€œโ€ฆI canโ€™t see another quarterback coming in here and taking anything over.โ€

Bears GM Ryan Poles and HC Matt Eberflus run a real risk of alienating players if they donโ€™t manage this decision correctly, as itโ€™s clear the locker room still has some scars from how other notable veterans like LB Roquan Smith and DE Robert Quinn have been traded away 

โ€œItโ€™s like, if you get rid of him, what are we doing?โ€ a Bears veteran said. โ€œItโ€™s like last year when they got rid of Roquan and Rob. That was our captain. We knew we were going down.โ€

โ€œIf we do that next year, itโ€™s like where are we going?โ€ a Bears starter said of drafting a QB at No. 1. โ€œSo weโ€™ve got to go through this for another year until he [a rookie quarterback] is able to compete for a Super Bowl?โ€

  • Both Poles and Eberflus have faced speculation about their job security this year, with the arrival of new team president Kevin Warren a complicating factor as heโ€™s expected to have a voice in football decisions going forward.
  • Cronin and Fowler write Polesโ€™ job appears to be pretty safe, per sources, with a little less certainty about Eberflus although the 7-5 record over the past 12 weeks helps. 
  • They note Warren was exuberant after the win against the Falcons and was heard declaring, โ€œ2024 is going to be special.โ€
  • There still seems to be support for Fields in the building, with a coaching source telling Cronin and Fowler: โ€œThis is a high-ceiling player โ€” thereโ€™s much more he can tap into.โ€
  • Cronin and Fowler asked around the league, and the general thought was that if the Bears traded the No. 1 pick they could get more than they got from the Panthers last year. Execs gauged the value of the pick as two future first-rounders on top of a top-five pick this year, plus a Day 2 pick and/or a premium veteran player on a decent contract.
  • The consensus in an informal poll of league evaluators was that the Bears could get a second or third-round pick for Fields if they put him on the block, per Cronin and Fowler.
  • The Bears brought in LS Matt Overton for a tryout, via Aaron Wilson. 

Packers

The Packers must defeat the Bears in Week 18 to gain a berth in the playoffs. HC Matt LaFleur recalled being in a similar situation last year when they also needed a win over Chicago in Week 18 to reach the postseason but lost. 

โ€œWe were in a similar situation a year ago and couldnโ€™t get it done,โ€ LaFleur said, via PackersWire. โ€œSo, we know itโ€™s going to be a tremendous challenge. I think Chicago is as improved as any team, when you look at them from Week 1 to where they are now. Theyโ€™ve done a really, really good the last few weeks.โ€

Vikings

  • Vikings HC Kevin Oโ€™Connell says the team is not going to base their opinion of QB Jaren Hall on what happened against the Packers: โ€œWhat weโ€™ve got to do โ€ฆ [is] make sure he knows this is not by any means a period on the end of what we think of Jaren Hall.โ€ (Kevin Seifert)
  • The Vikings officially signed LB Abraham Beauplan to the practice squad on Tuesday.

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