Justin Fields is a better man than I am.
Confession: If I was in Fields’ situation, it would take a lot for me not to get petty as the quarterback of the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers while the Chicago Bears stumble out of the gates to a 1-2 start. Instead, the former Chicago Bears quarterback has been kind at every turn. But as I said above, the dude is a better guy than me.
For instance, Fields has made it clear at every turn that there is no bad blood between him and his former team. And that Bears General Manager Ryan Poles did right by him by sending him to Pittsburgh. Recently, Fields told FOX News that he is confident rookie quarterback Caleb Williams will right the ship despite the slow start. Fields could easily brush this stuff off or drop a no comment. He didn’t. And I appreciate that about him.
Justin Fields was asked about Bears-adjacent stuff recently on a podcast hosted by Steelers teammate Casey Heyward. One topic Fields discussed was how the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens were among the teams that inquired about trading for him in the offseason. So much for the grumblings about there not being a market for Fields.
The Ravens and Chargers didn’t make sense for Fields (who wanted to compete for a starting job) or the Bears (who wanted to do Fields a solid by sending him to a team where he could win a gig). As for the Raiders, there were discussions (ahem!) but they didn’t go anywhere โ which is probably a good thing for Fields when you consider that he is off to the best start of his career.
I understand that there are some pockets of Bears fans who are second-guessing the team’s decision to trade Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams. Heck, I know some fans didn’t want those transactions to go down in the first place. But if you let Fields tell it, the former Bears QB still believes in the signal caller who followed him. During the podcast, Fields shared an anecdote about meeting Caleb at a camp when he was at Ohio State and Williams was still in high school โ underscoring that Williams was the best player at the camp (with Vikings rookie QB JJ McCarthy also getting name-checked as a standout at the camp).
But if you are reading this and thinking that Justin Fields is going to share some kind words about the Chicago Bears coaching staff he left behind, I am about to bust your bubble (h/t @dave_bfr):
Justin Fields did not hesitate. Coaching matters. pic.twitter.com/xNpqrL1SYy
— Dave (@dave_bfr) September 26, 2024
Cam Heyward: Coaching, Pittsburgh or Chicago?
Justin Fields: Pittsburgh.
Sometimes, you don’t need to use a lot of words to say something that speaks volumes.
With no hesitation, Fields answers “Pittsburgh” when answering the question. And while Luke Getsy and a whole bunch of staffers have since left Chicago, it is still a damning answer when you think about how Head Coach Matt Eberflus and Offensive Line Coach Chris Morgan remain โ as do some of the Bears’ biggest problems (such as play calls, scheming, and offensive line play) on offense persist despite the departures from last season.
But with that being said, there was no world in which Justin Fields wasn’t going to answer Pittsburgh. Not only because it would be foolish to say that your old team had a better coaching situation than your current one, but also because it is undoubtedly the truth. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff are head-and-shoulders above where Matt Eberflus and his staff are right now. There is no sane Bears fan who will argue to the contrary.
Last year, we saw what accountability looks like from a head coach with how Mike Tomlin handled his offensive coordinator situation. Since then, all Mike Tomlin has done is make the playoffs (despite starting players like Duck Hodges, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph) and position his team to make another run at the postseason this year. Eberflus and his gang have a long way to go before they reach that stratosphere. So while we didn’t need Justin Fields to tell us that, I suppose there is nothing wrong with a reminder that we (as a collective fanbase) can start demanding more from the coaching staff currently in power in Chicago.