Justin Fields Finally Speaks Publicly On Bears' Tense QB Situation

The Chicago Bears are surrounded by quarterback rumors. They hold the #1 overall pick again. Almost every insider with any credibility believes the team will draft somebody and trade Justin Fields. GM Ryan Poles has not indicated what the plan is one way or the other. Thus everybody is stuck in a perpetual limbo until something breaks. Expectations are this will happen at some point shortly after the scouting combine next week. One person eager for it to be over is Fields himself.

For the first time in weeks, the Bears quarterback got in front of a camera to discuss his situation. It took place on the St. Brown brothers' podcast for The 33rd Team. He made one thing clear. If it were his choice, he'd stay. He loves Chicago.

“Of course I want to stay. I can’t see myself playing in another place. If it was up to me, I would want to stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city’s lit. The fans are great. It’s a business; I ain’t got no control over it. The biggest thing with all this going on [is] I just want to it to be over. Let me know if I’m getting traded [or] let me know if I’m staying.”

This is a further reminder that Fields remains an A+ person. He is so easy to root for. Unfortunately, the business of the NFL can be ice cold sometimes. His slow development as a passer, combined with the Bears landing the #1 pick, has forced Poles into a tough decision.

Justin Fields will be remembered fondly by many.

He never lived up to his vast potential in Chicago, but that wasn't entirely his fault. He landed on the team during a bad time. They were in the middle of a downturn with an aging roster. Poles tried to rebuild it around him as rapidly as possible. He did some good work. Sadly, it wasn't enough. While the quarterback was an excellent threat as a runner, opponents had too easy of a time stymying him and the Bears' passing attack. Too often, it felt like everything needed to be perfect for him to function at a high level.

The harsh truth is you aren't winning a championship under such conditions. Almost every Super Bowl won in the past two decades involved a top five quarterback. Justin Fields, for all his talent, is not one of those. It doesn't look like he'll ever get there. The guy is a tremendous athlete, teammate, and leader. Sadly, that isn't enough anymore. The Bears understand this. It is a harsh reality. Yet the decision still must be made.