The Chicago Bears’ 2021 season had former head coach Matt Nagy under the microscope for every single move he made en route to a 6-11 season and 3rd place finish in the NFC North. One of the biggest storylines from the season was the management (or mismanagement) of rookie quarterback Justin Fields.
Just why did Nagy treat Fields the way that he did? Letting Dalton start the season despite Fields appearing to be the more talented option, and then benching Fields later on in the season instead of giving him in-game reps as the season was lost? Sports Illustrated’s Peter King sat down with Jon Zaghloul on Sports Talk Chicago to discuss the roller coaster season for the rookie QB and Nagy’s thoughts behind it. King brought up a conversation he had with Nagy prior to the 2021 season, including one line Nagy said that showed his intentions:
“I’m not playing this kid until he’s ready. I don’t care what is going on with this team. I am not out to give this guy a two-year career. I want him to get a 15-year career.”
King went on to say that he believes Nagy was trying to emulate what the Kansas City Chiefs did with Patrick Mahomes in his rookie year, allowing him to sit behind veteran Alex Smith before taking the reigns in 2018. While it’s easy to bring up similarities between the two situations, the Chiefs were a vastly different team at the time, rolling to a 10-6 record and playoff berth under Smith’s play.
Anyone who watched the Bears in 2021 know that while the quarterback play wasn’t great by any means, there was no chance this team was going to clinch a playoff berth, let alone a winning record. Fields threw for 1,870 yards, 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games in his rookie campaign, with plenty of ups and downs as the season went on. Through it all however, King believes that Nagy’s plan prior to the season was the correct one in planning for Fields to sit for the entirety of the season:
“Who cares if Justin Fields plays this year? You aren’t winning the Super Bowl. You are almost certainly not going to the playoffs. I think Matt Nagy had the right idea. Injuries and an enormous earthquake of public sediment kind of forced his hand. I think it was a mistake, but I don’t make those decisions.”
While Nagy’s tenure came crashing down, Fields has made it well known he’s looking forward to a fresh start in his second season with new head coach Matt Eberflus. With a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy now in tow, will things be different for Fields? We’ll find out this fall.
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