fields-g.jpg
Getty Images

The future is extremely murky for Justin Fields. At one point not long ago, the former first-round quarterback was looked at as the franchise cornerstone, so much so that the Chicago Bears opted to trade the first overall pick last offseason. A year later, however, the club again finds itself atop the NFL Draft and appears it will make the selection, likely opting for USC quarterback Caleb Williams. If/when that happens, it effectively ends Fields' tenure in the Windy City. 

And those severing of ties may already be happening between Chicago and Fields. As pointed out by CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli, Fields isn't following the Bears' official Instagram account, which leads to the question of whether or not the quarterback unfollowed it amid his uncertain future. 

While it was initially unknown if Fields unfollowed the account recently, the quarterback confirmed that he did remove the team from his timeline, and explained to "The 33rd Team" what led to that decision. 

"Why do people take social media so serious?" Fields began. "I still mess with the Bears, this and that. I'm just trying to take a little break [from football content]. I unfollowed the Bears and the NFL. I'm just trying to not have football on my timeline. I know y'all mess with a girl, [Equanimeous St. Brown] especially you. Just because you don't follow the girl on IG, don't mean you not messing with her." 

That led to St. Brown asking if that means Fields is still "messing" with the Bears. 

"Man, it's not even like that," Fields said. "It's something that I don't want to see on my timeline. I'm about to go on vacation. I don't want to see no football."

Part of the reason why Fields may not want to see any football on his timeline for the foreseeable future could be the ongoing discourse in Chicago surrounding whether or not the team keeps him around or decides to draft Williams, which the quarterback noted. 

"It's either keep Fields, we want Fields or it's either draft Caleb [Williams]," he said of the current situation. "Man, I'm tired of hearing the talk. I just want it to be over." 

A recent report from Sports Illustrated noted noted that other teams across the NFL began inquiring about a possible trade for Fields at this year's Senior Bowl. Those talks will likely only ramp up leading into the NFL Scouting Combine, which is typically a hotbed for such trade talks to occur. In an ideal world, Chicago would likely want to have Fields' situation sorted out before the NFL Draft this spring so they can have a smooth transition to Williams if/when he is the No. 1 overall pick.