Former Bears Exec Makes Stunning Admission About Justin Fields Draft

There are regrets these days among Chicago Bears fans. They had hopes Justin Fields might finally be the quarterback to break the franchise's long-running curse at the position. After flashes of promise during his first two seasons, everybody expected a step forward in 2023. Instead, they've watched the former 1st round pick slowly regress to a shadow of his former self. Barring an unexpected turnaround, it looks like Fields will join the ever-growing list of busts to come through this organization.

It is always around this time when information comes to light that makes it easier to understand why the Bears suck at this. A few years ago, it was revealed that selecting Mitch Trubisky in 2017 was basically a one-man coup by GM Ryan Pace. He kept head coach John Fox in the dark right up until the pick was made. Fox didn't even want a QB but preferred Deshaun Watson in the event it happened.

According to former director of player personnel Josh Lucas, the selection of Fields was also a muddy affair. He explained on Parkins & Spiegel of 670 The Score that the building was split right up until the day of the draft. The personnel department felt Fields was #2 among the top quarterbacks behind Trevor Lawrence. Based on his phrasing, it sounds like the coaches had a different name in mind.

Mac Jones.

Pace once again didn't find a consensus on Justin Fields.

It was a repeat of the Trubisky situation all over again. While his front office liked Fields, it appears the coaches were more comfortable with Jones. That isn't a surprise. The Alabama quarterback played a much more pocket-oriented style that fit Matt Nagy's offense. Lucas even outright admitted earlier in the interview that the Bears had reservations about Fields' ability to process quickly enough. His scores on the S2 test before the draft gave them enough confidence to believe he would eventually improve in that area. As we've seen, that hasn't been the case.

Jones went to New England. While nobody can accuse him of having a stellar start to his career, he's definitely been better than Justin Fields. His completion rate (66.3), yards per game (221.9), TD-INT ratio (41-26), and passer rating (88.8) are all superior. Maybe if Pace and Nagy had drafted him, they might've saved their jobs. Instead, as was always the case with the former GM, he had to swing for the fences. He ignored the red flags in favor of the upside. As always, it burned him in the end.

That is yet another indictment on ownership, giving him another opportunity to make such a move.