Lions HC Dan Campbell relieved Justin Fields is out of NFC North

Dan Campbell is thrilled Justin Fields is no longer with the Bears. But who’s going to tell him who’s on deck to replace Fields in Chicago?

The Chicago Bears are ushering in a new era after trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

One person who was quite excited to see Fields out of Chicago is Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who’s had to deal with Fields twice a year for the past three years.

“I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to have Fields out of that division,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando.

Fields played Detroit five times in his three years with Chicago — missing only the Thanksgiving game during his rookie season — where he passed for 843 yards with five touchdowns to four interceptions.

But Fields was at his best with his legs, where he made the Lions pay on multiple occasions. In five games against Detroit, Fields rushed for 450 yards with an average 8.0 yards per carry and three touchdowns. He rushed for 100 yards in three of those contests.

While Campbell can revel in Fields’ exit right now, he’ll have to deal with Fields’ (most likely) successor — USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

So Campbell and his Lions aren’t getting off that easy.

NFL analyst believes Justin Fields will be Steelers’ starter in Week 1

Justin Fields will have a chance to compete for the Steelers QB job with Russell Wilson, and there’s one analyst giving the nod to Fields.

The Chicago Bears officially closed the book on the Justin Fields era when they traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month.

Now, Fields gets a fresh start in his fourth NFL season with Pittsburgh, who also signed Russell Wilson this offseason.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that, while Wilson is currently in the pole position, Fields will have an opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback job. Which should make for one heck of a competition this summer between two talented QBs.

Former NFL quarterback and current NFL Network analyst David Carr believes Fields will ultimately come out on top of this Steelers QB battle.

“Justin Fields is going to be the starter Week 1,” Carr said on NFL Total Access Tuesday. “I personally believe that. This offense is not something that takes a ton of experience for the quarterback position to run. It’s a nuanced offense, but it’s more RPO-based. It’s more quarterback is going to run the ball. He’s gonna be a threat. Arthur Smith’s a smart guy. He understands 11 on 11. Around the league, when the quarterback runs the ball, there’s an advantage there for the offense. Just look at Lamar Jackson.”

It’s definitely a storyline we’ll be following this offseason as it involves the compensation Chicago acquired in exchange for Fields. The Bears received a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick that becomes a fourth rounder if Fields plays 51% of snaps in 2024.

So Bears fans everywhere should be rooting for Fields to beat out Wilson — whether it’s simply to wish him luck or for Chicago’s draft compensation.

Caleb Williams’ self-expression is not a character issue

Dumping hate onto USC quarterback Caleb Williams for painted nails is embarrassing and something we should learn to leave behind

It seems like every few years around draft time we have a curious case of a talented young player being brought into the media spotlight and being unreasonably crucified for things outside of his tape, or quite frankly anything having to do with his football skillset. Cam Newton himself faced criticism seemingly out of nowhere for possessing a “fake smile” and being a personality fans and media immediately loved to hate. This year, another probably number one overall pick in USC quarterback Caleb Williams faces similar negative feedback and it could not be more narrow-minded and silly.

Williams has been attacked seemingly all offseason long over his choices of self-expression. From wearing nail polish, his phone case color, crying in his mother’s arms after a emotionally exhausting loss, and his general laid-back demeanor, Williams is getting put through the wringer for all the worst reasons.

Only a NFL fanbase full of fragile men who cherish the idea of deeply insecure self-held masculinity could see the generational talent that is Caleb Williams and choose to try and define him by such simplistic things. Gen Z and the athletes contained within in it are some of the most expressive and true-to-self characters we have seen in modern sports, and that is very much a good thing.

NFL front offices certainly are not going to take issue with Williams’ nails or phone case, and it is silly that we even need to have the discussion. Williams is a top level talent the likes of which we haven’t seen since Andrew Luck. His talent being undermined by personal fashion choices and self-expression makes it hard to take fan criticism seriously.

The noise that this non-issue has created has peeled back some of the uglier side of NFL fandom that is laced in homophobia and toxic masculinity. Perhaps if you evaluate Williams by his self-expression, you should do an evaluation of your own character instead and allow young players to be their own fantastic individuals.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ pro day a success with Commanders in attendance

A good day for Jayden Daniels with all of the NFL in attendance.

The much-anticipated weigh-in quickly history as he stepped on the scale, and it read 210 pounds.

Jayden Daniels, the LSU quarterback, raised concerns at the NFL Scouting Combine when he declined to weigh in, virtually assuring everyone interested that he did not actually weigh the 210 pounds the LSU roster had claimed during the season.

Being the only quarterback who did not weigh in at the Combine, no doubt there has been a concerted effort for Daniels to gain weight this offseason. His camp was most likely very pleased he was at least up to 210 by Wednesday’s LSU pro day.

Reports are his workout was very scripted, with very few three and five-step drop throws. Not to be negative, but one does wonder, if you know the pro game is going to be much more detailed, such as involving three and five-step drops, why not be working on those enough this offseason to display them in your pro day workout?

A real positive not to be overlooked was Daniels’ measurement at 6-foot-3 and one-half inch. No doubt interested teams were glad to see Daniels’ height, as seeing over the offensive and defensive lines is a tremendous help for an NFL quarterback.

Daniels threw many short, intermediate and some long passes, enough that he displayed enough arm strength and touch to please the interested teams. His throwing motion was smooth; nothing seemed forced in his motion. It was a good showing for Daniels. Here is every throw by Daniels from earlier today.

Interested NFL teams met with Daniels following his on-field workout, which lasted approximately 20 minutes. This serves as another opportunity for both parties to get to know each other a bit more during this NFL Draft process.

What teams attended the LSU workout? Early reports are those viewing along with the Commanders were the Giants, Patriots, Saints, Raiders, and the Bears.

Yes, the Chicago Bears. Might the Bears still be considering drafting Daniels?

Interested teams will travel immediately to the North Carolina pro day, which is scheduled for Thursday. The major focus for the Commanders, of course, will be quarterback Drake Maye.

There is no rest for the NFL weary this week.

Report: Chargers rejected Keenan Allen’s extension counteroffer before trade

A timeline of the events surrounding Keenan Allen’s talks with the Chargers organization before the trade can be established.

According to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, a timeline of the events surrounding Keenan Allen’s talks with the Chargers organization before the trade can be established.

After the NFL Combine, the Chargers asked Allen to take a pay cut similar to what they asked of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. However, in a new wrinkle, LA offered Allen a two-year extension along with the restructured 2024 contract.

This isn’t necessarily surprising. At his press conference last week, Joe Hortiz mentioned that an extension was one of the options that was discussed with Allen prior to the trade. The specifics of it were unknown at the time though.

Per Rhim, the extension offer AAV was less than Allen’s current base salary of $18.1 million. While not a drastically low offer for receivers aging into their 30s, Allen is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also re-signed star wide receiver Mike Evans to a deal worth $20.5 million per season prior to the opening of free agency. It wouldn’t be surprising if Allen’s camp used that contract as a baseline for a new deal.

Allen’s camp responded with an extension counteroffer that they thought was more indicative of the receiver’s value. This was two days after the deal was offered to the new Bears’ wideout at the NFL Combine. Using Rhim’s exact words, the counteroffer extension from Allen and his team was “summarily rejected.”

We know the rest of what happened following the rejected counteroffer. Allen was traded to the Bears roughly two weeks ago prior to his roster bonus kicking in on the following Sunday.

Jim Harbaugh was a straight shooter in his media availability on Monday, saying that the NFL was a business. He also mentioned Allen doing what was “honorable” for his family. Hortiz indicated that a roster built around a pricey Allen and potential extensions for other members of the former Big Four restructures group would’ve limited how the new front office wanted to build the team.

The Chargers will look towards both the draft and free agency to fill the void left by Allen.

Why the Bears should be one of the teams playing on Christmas

The Bears look like they’re going to be an exciting team this season, so they deserve the spotlight.

The Chicago Bears are one of the marquee franchises in the NFL despite being a laughing stock in terms of production in their history. They play in an incredible sports town that always draws the attention of the fans and media. As a result, the league should be trying to put them in front of as many eyes as possible.

Not only are they in a big market, but they are also going to be entertaining in 2024. They’re going to have Caleb Williams as their quarterback, as the plan is to take him with the first overall pick. He will be surrounded by some really good weapons in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift and Cole Kmet.

Their defense is also going to be good led by players like Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson. If they have some good luck with health and everybody plays well when they are on the field, the team could be really good.

With this new-look Bears team, a lot of folks may find them interesting. That is why they should be playing one of the two games slated to be played on Christmas Day in 2024.

Folks gathered together to celebrate the holidays would be lucky to have this new Bears team on their televisions. It would be especially fun if they were playing in a very good home matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, or New England Patriots.

If they were to be the road team on Christmas, options like the Packers, San Francisco 49ers, or Houston Texans are there for them, as well. Either way, having the Bears on TV that day is a great idea. Williams needs to be in the spotlight to show the world what he can do.

If the Bears were to play in this game, that would mean their previous matchup would be on Saturday, Dec. 21 rather than Sunday, Dec. 22. The NFL views this as a short week, the same as playing on a Sunday followed by a Thursday.

Every team in the league has to do those short weeks. For the Bears, it might as well be in the spotlight like a Christmas game. We’ve seen them play on Thanksgiving over the years, and that is always fun. This would be even better.

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Bears still not interested in being featured on ‘Hard Knocks’

Bears chairman George McCaskey hasn’t changed his stance on “Hard Knocks.”

The Chicago Bears are once again eligible to be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series, which offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into an NFL team during training camp and preseason.

Bears chairman George McCaskey has previously made his feelings clear on the matter: He’s not interested in “Hard Knocks,” which many feel would be a distraction.

But with new president Kevin Warren in place, you have to wonder if the organization’s position has changed. According to the Chicago Tribune, when Warren was asked Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings whether there was interest in doing “Hard Knocks,” he chuckled.

“That’s always interesting,” Warren said. “I have interests in making sure that the NFL stays strong and vibrant.”

While Warren didn’t exactly say “no” in his response, McCaskey later offered a firm “no” in response to whether his own stance on “Hard Knocks” had changed.

The Bears are one of three teams that can be forced into doing “Hard Knocks,” which also includes the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints. When looking at those three teams, there’s little doubt Chicago would be the most attractive option for the NFL.

They’re ushering in a new era with projected No. 1 pick Caleb Williams, they have a young, ascending defense, they’re looking to make that next step to contend for the playoffs and they’re one of 10 teams never featured on the show before.

“We’re told there is some interest in other teams being on the program,” McCaskey said. “And we welcome that interest.”

At this point, a team volunteering appears to be McCaskey’s best bet of getting the Bears out of “Hard Knocks.”

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Bears president Kevin Warren shares his thoughts on Justin Fields trade

Bears president Kevin Warren talked about trading Justin Fields and its reflection on GM Ryan Poles.

“What will the Chicago Bears do with Justin Fields?” That was the question that reverberated from the fanbase and through Halas Hall in the twilight of 2023 season and beyond, dominating all conversation as the clock ticked closer to draft day.

The Bears have been transfixed with USC phenom Caleb Williams ever since the team had a firm grasp of the number overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft, but their clear intention to select him with the pick left an odd man out in the QB room. Would the team retain Fields and allow him to compete with his rookie counterpart in training camp? Or would the team part ways with the talented dual-threat QB, giving him a chance to start somewhere else?

The latter was the route the Bears took. Chicago shipped Fields off to Pittsburgh in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick that could be a fourth based on his playing time, closing the book on the Fields era in Chicago. The move was met with frustration from some fans, bemoaning the little amount of compensation the Bears received, but general manager Ryan Poles made it clear that it was Fields’ wish to go to Pittsburgh. Poles emphasized that Fields would have a say throughout the whole prolonged process, and that ended up being true in the end.

Bears president Kevin Warren voiced his approval of the deal when speaking with the media at the NFL owners meetings, specifically praising Poles for staying true to his word.

“I’m glad we were able to do right by (Fields),” Warren said. “And that was another critical data point to show you who Ryan Poles is. That he’s going to build this (team) with integrity and class and when he says he cares about people and players.”

Warren spoke at length about Fields, saying that he believes that Pittsburgh was the right place for him.

“One of the things I appreciated the most is that we wanted to do right by Justin, and Pittsburgh was the best trade destination for him,” Warren said. “And I think in the long term, if you do right by people… those things come back to you in ways you really hasn’t planned… I wish him well. And I say that sincerely.”

It’s quite the breath of fresh air to see the organization so unified in their beliefs, as the Bears’ front office has been notoriously rigid in the last couple of decades. They were in lockstep when handling the Fields dilemma, and it seems that they are dedicated to hitting a home-run with the number one pick next month. There’s much work to be done before Chicago is ready to be a serious playoff contender, but communication between the higher-ups is something the Bears have gotten right thus far.

 

Bears GM Ryan Poles explains why Keenan Allen is perfect for rookie QB

Bears GM Ryan Poles doesn’t think there’s a better receiver than Keenan Allen for a young QB, like Caleb Williams.

The Chicago Bears are preparing to usher in the Caleb Williams era as the 2024 NFL draft draws closer.

Williams is the presumptive first overall pick, and he’s been linked to the Bears since they locked up the top selection (courtesy of the Carolina Panthers). Chicago sealed the deal when they traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

All things considered, Williams might just be coming into the best situation for a No. 1 pick quarterback in NFL history. The Bears have an ascending top-10 defense that was among the league’s best to end the 2023 season, along with some big weapons on offense and an improving offensive line.

One of the biggest new additions for Chicago is wide receiver Keenan Allen, who was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers. General manager Ryan Poles believes Allen can be a young quarterback’s best friend.

“I don’t think there’s a better receiver in the league that can be better for a young quarterback in terms of understanding the NFL, timing, space, reading defenses,” Poles said of Allen. “So I think that’s a great addition.”

Poles has done everything possible this offseason to make this is an ideal situation for any incoming rookie quarterback. The addition of Allen will help open up Shane Waldron’s new offense in an exciting way.

“It balances the field with DJ (Moore) on the other side, Cole (Kmet) and (Gerald) Everett at tight end, (D’Andre) Swift at running back,” Poles said. “We have a lot of really cool things that can get going and allow us to be dynamic and really special.”

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Broncos won’t play in NFL’s Hall of Fame Game this summer

Broncos great Randy Gradishar will be enshrined in Canton this summer, but the Broncos won’t play in the Hall of Fame Game.

The Denver Broncos will have one former player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, but the team won’t be featured in the league’s annual Hall of Fame Game.

The Chicago Bears will face the Houston Texans in the the first game of the preseason on Thursday, Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.

The Bears have three players — return specialist Devin Hester, defensive lineman Steve McMichael and pass rusher Julius Peppers — set to be enshrined. The Texans, meanwhile, have wide receiver Andre Johnson as the franchise’s first-ever Hall of Famer.

After the Hall of Fame Game, the 2024 class will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3. Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar was elected to this year’s class as a senior candidate.

Denver played the Atlanta Falcons in the Hall of Fame Game in 2019, kicking off the preseason with a 14-10 win. This year, the Broncos will have a set of three preseason games beginning the week of Aug. 5.

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