ANNOUNCEMENT: Jaquan Brisker, Announce Resignation And Departure From Chicago Bears Today…

The Chicago Bears face an interesting dilemma at quarterback this offseason. You may have heard.

With the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, general manager Ryan Poles is in an ideal position to reboot. The Bears could choose first from what is widely regarded as an impressive quarterback class, with USC’s Caleb Williams currently the consensus top prospect.

But Poles also could trade the pick for an eye-opening return, then continue building around incumbent starter Justin Fields. Staying the course would carry some complexity with Fields’ contract situation. By May 2, the Bears must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option in his rookie deal, which would fully guarantee his 2025 salary — estimated to be in the ballpark of $22 million by overthecap.com.

From there, Bears higher-ups also would have to discuss how much more they’d want to invest in Fields’ future through a possible extension.

In evaluating Fields’ worth and long-term potential, the Bears first have to cement their evaluation of his 2023 season, an up-and-down ride that included several flashes of brilliance, frustrating stretches of inconsistency and a monthlong absence due to a thumb injury.

So how much did Fields grow? Where were his most notable improvements? And what problem areas still exist?

Before the season, the Tribune established modest and realistic statistical goals for Fields in Season 3, a checklist that would help, at season’s end, measure the progress he made. The goals weren’t about setting the bar at an MVP level but about establishing checkpoints Fields would have to reach across seven key categories to convince Bears decision makers he’s ascending toward a championship level.

Here’s a look at the goals we set, how Fields performed and how it checks out in our grading system.