Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is a fairly polarizing figure, which is more than you could have said about him back in September when pretty much everyone thought the Bears should run him out of town.
However, a decent showing in 2023 has caused Fields to grow on some people, and some are even suggesting that Chicago should trade the No. 1 overall pick and stick with Fields under center moving forward.
Legendary NFL quarterback Kurt Warner is not in that group.
While speaking with NBC Sports Chicago at the Super Bowl this week, Warner said that he doesn’t think Fields has the “it” factor to be a successful player in this league.
“I think the thing with Justin for me is [that] he hasn’t shown me he’s that guy,” Warner said. “Doesn’t mean he’s not talented. Doesn’t mean he can’t be great and a franchise quarterback. But when you have three years and you don’t take out the doubt to go, ‘He’s our guy,’ I think you have to move on.”
The Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick back in 2021. Since then, he has gone just 10-28 as a starter and has totaled 40 passing touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
While Fields has shown flashes of tantalizing potential, Warner thinks that his lack of consistency is an issue.
“You can’t just go pay that guy $50 million in hopes that those glimpses you saw turn into greatness,” said Warner. “It may be unfortunate because some of these guys play too early, they are not ready yet, their next step or their next contract is going to be determined by it. But that’s all we can go on. If you have played for three years, you have to prove to me you’re that guy.”
Fields made 13 starts this past season, missing four games due to a dislocated thumb. During his time on the field, he threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 86.3. In addition, he rushed for 657 yards and four scores.
We’ll see what becomes of Justin Fields this offseason, but there is no question that he is one of the more puzzling cases in all of football at the moment.
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