Peter King Hopes Bears Aren't "Stupid" Enough To Trade Fields

When former NFL executives come out of the woodwork to call on the Chicago Bears to trade Justin Fields, it can be easy as a fan to start having second thoughts. The former 1st round pick improved in almost every category this past season. His rushing ability took off like never before. His passing improvement was more modest but still evident despite consistency issues. One would think it was enough to justify more time to keep growing. Yet the rumors persist. Longtime insider Peter King is tired of it.

He spoke with NBC Sports Chicago about the entire situation. As somebody that lives in New York and worked there for many years, he is familiar with a fanbase notorious for wanting to move on from quarterbacks too soon. They wanted Phil Simms out during the same year he ended up winning the Super Bowl. The same was true for Eli Manning two decades later. Now it's happening to Zach Wilson with the Jets. People aren't willing to admit that sometimes it takes a young quarterback to find his footing in the NFL.

"I think that is absolutely stupid and would be stupid if the Bears entered this year coming up thinking, 'If Justin Fields is not a top 12 quarterback this year, we've got to move on from him.' The road is littered with so many teams that gave up on quarterbacks early. If you look back a couple of generations, Terry Bradshaw failed about 50 times before finally he became one of the great quarterbacks ever. My whole thing is I've seen enough out of Justin Fields to know that I want him to be my quarterback for the next few years."

Peter King has a fair point.

Bradshaw is far from the only example of a talented quarterback struggling in his early career before turning things around after a few seasons. Jim Plunkett became a journeyman after flopping in New England. Then he won two Super Bowls with the Raiders. Troy Aikman was brutal through his first three years in Dallas. Then he won three of the next four Super Bowls. Drew Brees threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his first three years. Now he's a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. Patience can sometimes pay off if the QB is talented enough and has the drive.

Fields has both. Forget the athleticism. He possesses one of the best arms in the league. There isn't a pass on the field he can't make. His processing speed improved in 2022. Not by a lot, but somewhat. Perhaps with another year in the same offense and better players around him, he might take another step forward. It is hardly crazy to imagine. Peter King has seen it before. There is enough evidence to suggest Fields can be a star in this league. The only thing required to find out is time.