Even with Justin Fields’ marked improvements in his second NFL season, there is a subset of Bears fans who want Ryan Poles to trade Fields for a boatload of picks and draft either Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud. Most players say they ignore outside noise like that, but on the “Rich Eisen Show” on Thursday, Fields acknowledged that he’s heard some of that talk. And for the first time, we heard him respond to that thinking.
“How I look at it is just controlling the controllables,” Fields said on the show. “No matter what happens with me, I can control what I can control, and that's how I approach the game. That's how I train for the game and how I carry myself within the game.”
Fields said he hasn’t had any conversations with coaches or front office staff about what they plan to do with the No. 1 overall pick, noting that he believed the organization was focused on free agency first, since the window to negotiate with free agents begins on Mar. 13, while the draft doesn’t begin until Apr. 27.
For those who still aren’t sold on Fields as a franchise QB, Fields believes he hasn’t put all of his capabilities on display yet.
“I think I've shown a little bit, but I don't think I've shown the world what I can do in terms of playing the full quarterback position and playing it consistently,” Fields said. “I think there were , some times this year where I was better than others. Like my last game of the season against the Lions, that wasn’t a good game. So just being more consistent for my teammates, for my coaches, for the fan base. Once I do that, once I just keep progressing and keep getting better, then I'll be good.”