LAS VEGAS -- The obvious names were at the top of the marquee this past week in Las Vegas as the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs prepared for their Super Bowl LVIII duel -- one that ended in a 25-22 overtime win for the Chiefs.
You know the headliners: Mahomes. Kelce. Swift. Purdy. Shanahan.
But two other names bubbled under the surface as the undercard to the championship bout between the Chiefs and Niners.
Justin Fields and Caleb Williams.
From the outside, it might seem ridiculous that a week dedicated to two teams that survived every challenge they faced this season would have so much chatter around a team that finished 7-10, a franchise with four playoff wins since 1994.
But that's how the NFL works. Sure, Super Bowl week is a celebration. But the league is always looking ahead to what's next. Stagnation isn't in the league's DNA.
So while the Chiefs and 49ers were the main attraction at Mandalay Bay and up and down the stip this past week, the Bears' pending quarterback decision was topic No. 2. Maybe 1B.
Chicago Bears
"I just don't see the argument for keeping Fields," one league source told NBC Sports Chicago. "There hasn't been nearly enough production as a passer to warrant passing on Williams. I don't think the decision will be a difficult one for them to make.
"It's unfair. The NFL is unfair. But these opportunities rarely come around. Thing about how long Chicago has needed a quarterback. Well, now is their chance."
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With players and executives, both current and past, swarming Vegas, the split of opinion was notable. Current players believe Fields' standing as the Bears' franchise quarterback shouldn't be questioned. With a few exceptions, just about everyone else sees Williams as the Bears' future.
"You know Justin is a [franchise] QB, and you know I've seen it," Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins told NBC Sports Chicago. "We all see him make multiple plays, and he's just, he, they just got to build around him. So you know they got the first pick. I think they should trade the pick, and get more picks to build around Justin. Just give him a chance. He just needs a chance."
"He seems like he's a phenomenal athlete, but the guy from USC, I can't see nobody passing on him," former star tight end Antonio Gates told NBC Sports Chicago. "I can't see nobody passing on a guy that can throw from all those angles like Patrick Mahomes. I see it work. So it's no way. I'm not guessing with him.
"Justin Fields, you still kind of guessing. Can he be? We're still trying to figure out: Can Lamar Jackson win a Super Bowl? I put him in that realm. I don't put them with Russell Wilson. I don't put them with Josh Allen. Because those guys can still literally sit in the pocket and play pocket quarterback. Those guys are the best football athletes on the field. They need to use their legs essentially. So [Fields] still has that Lamar Jackson dynamic to me as a football player. He doesn't have that Josh Allen -- Josh Allen can just sit there and beat you. Russell Wilson can do the same to me and Aaron Rodgers.
"And that's where they change. Caleb Williams, in my opinion, I've watched him a bunch, can do the same thing."
But while the camps were clear, they weren't unanimous.
A former MVP told NBC Sports Chicago there was no question that the Bears should stick with Fields.
"I don't even understand why it's a question," the former MVP said. "Fields is a dog. You don't give up on guys like that."
Turn around, and Kurt Warner is explaining why the Bears have no choice but to move on from Fields.
“I think the thing with Justin for me is, he hasn’t shown me he’s that guy," Warner told NBC Sports Chicago. "Doesn’t mean he’s not talented. Doesn’t mean he can’t be great and a franchise quarterback. But when you have three years and you don’t take out the doubt to go, ‘He’s our guy!’ I think you have to move on. You can’t just go pay that guy $50 million in hopes that those glimpses you saw turn into greatness. It may be unfortunate because some of these guys play too early, they are not ready yet, their next step or their next contract is going to be determined by it. But that’s all we can go on. If you have played for three years, you have to prove to me you’re that guy.”
Take a left, and a former general manager is there to tell you why passing on Williams for anything less than three first-round picks is career suicide.
As the week went on and the crowds grew, the conversation shifted from "should" to "will."
"They'll trade him by early March," one league source said of Fields. "You don't want to get caught in a situation where you either have to give him or way or keep him because the trade offers aren't good enough. If you hang onto him too long, you could have a [Jimmy] Garoppolo situation where the offers aren't good, and you have to bring him to camp to share the locker room with the guy you just drafted."
However, several people in league circles suggested the Bears could keep Fields on the roster well into training camp and wait for an injury to a starting quarterback -- like what happened to Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 -- and then extract maximum value from a desperate team.
"That might be the best way to get what you think he's worth," a league executive told NBC Sports Chicago. " But it's a gamble. He's beloved in that locker room. You'd have to really trust your culture and grab your core guys and make sure they know the situation. Caleb is the guy and Justin is here until he isn't. Is that worth an extra pick or two? I'd say no. I say they offload him before April and clear the deck for Caleb."
While opinions were split and muddled about what the Bears would and should do, one thought had almost unanimous support: Justin Fields hasn't been given a fair shake in Chicago.
"I think he's persevered through a tough situation and gotten better," Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love told NBC Sports Chicago. "That's my guy. But I think he's in a tough position to Chicago. I think he did a lot of good things this year. He definitely improved in a lot of areas. He battled through some injuries. So that was tough. But, you know, I'm excited for to see what happens with him for the future, whether it's in Chicago or somewhere else. But I think it's a tough position. You know, you know, he gets a lot of the blame for, you know, things that go on there which is a tough position to be in. But I'm excited to see what happens with Justin and his future."
The fact that the Bears were the undercard during Super Bowl week shows the significance of the moment that has arrived for Poles and the Bears.
"Get it right, and you'll be remembered forever," the league executive said. "This kid [Williams] is a career-definer. He can change everything for a lot of people. I'd turn the card in now if I could. I think everything there is about to change."
