Whether you’re a Bears fan or not, it’s a question you can’t avoid: what should the Bears do with Justin Fields?
Everyone has an opinion, whether on social media or even in line at the grocery store. We took the question directly to football fans and are giving you the first look at what Illinoisans would do if they were the general manager of the Chicago Bears.
Illinoisans Want Justin Fields to Stay a Bear
A whopping 75% want the Bears to keep Fields: 44% say to keep him and build around him, and 31% say to keep him while also drafting another quarterback. Only 13% want to move on from Fields by trading him and drafting a new starting quarterback.
While sentimentality and loyalty play a part in Illinoisans wanting to keep Fields, even fans of other teams believe the Bears should keep him: 61% of Packers fans (for whatever their opinion is worth) and 70% of fans of other teams all say to keep Fields.
That’s not all we asked. Did the Bears make the right decisions sticking with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus? Where should the Bears relocate their new stadium?
43% believe it’s the right decision to stick with Ryan Poles as general manager, with a net positive rating of +23%. Poles has already earned strong support through just 2 years of leading the Bears’ roster moves.
Conversely, Illinoisans are mixed on whether it’s the right decision to stick with Matt Eberflus as coach heading into next season with 39% agreeing it’s the right decision and 31% saying it isn’t.
Meanwhile, sentiment has shifted as to where people want to see the Bears build a new stadium. The City of Chicago now leads, with 48% choosing Chicago as the location compared to 29% preferring Arlington Heights. After the Bears purchased the Arlington Park property in 2021, our poll of Chicagoland residents showed 66% in favor of a new stadium at the Arlington Heights location.
Viewers of our weekly political podcast will likely remember even our team was split when we discussed these topics at the end of 2023. Well, one thing we agreed on was no matter what the Bears decide, sticking with Fields or drafting a replacement like Caleb Williams, the opposite decision will have been the right one. Because our franchise is doomed to forever talk about 1985-1986 (the greatest team in NFL history!)
Fun fact: 74% of Illinoisans are Bears fans compared to 18% who are fans of inferior teams—including 9% for the Packers.
