According to a new report, Justin Fields was a “toxic” teammate and difficult for players to work with in the Chicago Bears’ locker room.
Two months ago, the Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the surprisingly low price of a 2025 sixth-round draft pick. A month later, the Bears used the first overall pick of 2024 via the Carolina Panthers on USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Fields was traded to Pittsburgh soon after the AFC North club signed ex-Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year deal. Head coach Mike Tomlin has emphasized that the plan is for Wilson to be the Week 1 starter, with Fields backing him up.
Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com reports that the Bears’ quarterback room of Fields, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles was extremely “toxic”. Dunne’s report states that Fields was always separated from the two veterans, and that Fields was ignoring Foles during a period where the Super Bowl 52 MVP was trying to mentor the youngster:
“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.”
On top of that, a source told Dunne that Fields never built “authentic relationships with teammates”, and that the former first-round pick “lacks emotional intelligence.”
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Over his three seasons with the Bears, Justin Fields went 10-28-0 as a starter with 6,674 passing yards, 40 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and 2,220 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for an impressive 1,143 yards and eight TDs during the 2022 season.
Steelers Are An Ideal Landing Spot For Justin Fields
Unfortunately for Fields, most QB-needy teams waited until the 2024 NFL Draft to select their new signal-caller. The trade market for Fields was largely limited this year, so there weren’t many better landing spots than the Steelers.
Even if Russell Wilson plays well and holds down the starting duties all season long, Fields will benefit from learning behind the veteran quarterback and future Hall of Fame head coach Mike Tomlin.
Fields is slated to become a free agent after the 2024 season.
