During the middle of the 2023 season, when some fans were clamoring for Justin Fields to be replaced by a quarterback who could throw the football, Chicago Bears players backed up their teammate in interviews. Secretly, Fields appeared to be a poor teammate from the time he was drafted to the day he was shipped off to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick.
D.J. Moore was a public supporter of Justin Fields
One of the more vocal supporters of Fields last season was wide receiver D.J. Moore. Moore said he favored keeping Fields over drafting his replacement a few times. Per Pro Football Talk, Moore called Fields a “great leader”:
During an appearance on PFT Live Thursday, Moore said that he’s “definitely on record” as wanting Fields to remain the team’s quarterback. Moore said that Fields is a “great leader” and that he doesn’t “get exhausted” voicing his support for the quarterback “because I know his growth and everything that he went through” before closing out the 2023 season with an extended run of good play.
“His growth has been phenomenal,” Moore said. “If you look at the games where he came back off of injury, he’s been everything you could ask out of a quarterback. Puts us in a position to win, getting the ball to his playmakers and if he’s gotta do it himself he does it himself and takes it like 50, 60 yards and does his thing. That’s all you can ask, is just steady growth and that’s what he did.”
Chicago Bears teammates had issues with Fields
But behind closed closed doors, players felt differently about Fields. According to Tyler Dunne of Go Long, Fields didn’t build strong relationships with his teammates:
One source plugged into the Bears locker room says the widely held narrative that Fields was a strong leader is inflated, citing the quarterback as “a surface level dude” who didn’t develop authentic relationships with teammates. He called reports that teammates love Fields “bulls—,” adding that the quarterback carried himself with an undeserved aura and lacks emotional intelligence for someone who’s been a quarterback so long.
Another source said Fields lacked a “presence” in the building.
Nick Foles and Fields didn’t get along
Worse than that, Fields had issues as a rookie dealing with veterans Andy Dalton and Nick Foles, who were supposed to help teach him the quarterback position. Per Dunne, Fields disrespected Foles when the MVP of Super Bowl 52 tried to help him out in the quarterback room:
In reality? “F–king toxic as hell,” says one source. “They never were together. It was always Andy and Nick walking side by side and Justin always 15 yards behind them.”
There were several arguments amongst the QBs. Once, per one source, Foles was trying to teach something to Fields in the QB room and — upon turning toward the rookie — Foles realized Fields wasn’t even paying attention. His head was down. At that point, Foles was done trying to play mentor. The two could not stand each other. Around the building, one source says, “you cut the tension with a knife.”
Fields ‘cockiness came out last season when he said during a press conference, “I’m going to go out there and be me.” He followed that statement by going 11-22 passing for 99 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 41-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fields might have thought he was helping his case by undermining offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. However, Dunne cited an NFL quarterbacks coach who thought the statement was an admission that Fields could not read a defense.
It’s a Steelers issue now.
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