Justin Fields looked to have secured his spot as the Chicago Bears' long-term starter after an impressive 2022 season - rushing for over 1,100 yards while scoring 25 touchdowns and bringing the kind of excitement that the team has been missing for many years.
But just a year later, Fields found himself axed, traded away for extremely little draft compensation, with the likes of Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett appearing to be seen as superior quarterback options around the league. The Bears landed the first overall pick in the draft after their previous trade with the Carolina Panthers - with an opportunity that they could not pass on in selecting a generational prospect in Caleb Williams .
However, Chicago might have been eager to move on from Fields as their starter even if they hadn't been able to acquire Williams, with one former team staff member speaking about his severe limitations.
A former Bears coach is said to have told ' Go Long ': "Watch his eyes. He tries to see the whole thing and doesn’t see anything. His eyes are all over the place and it’s just really hard to watch. It’s just bad football."
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Indeed, a big criticism of Fields' game has been his ability to read the field in making the correct decisions , with the athletic quarterback too often taking off to run and failing to throw to open receivers.
Fields had flashed from time to time as a passer, but it had been clear that the Bears had become frustrated with the quarterback - sticking with rookie Tyson Bagent over him when he had been available to play.
Chicago has seen significant turnover in their staff over the past three years, with former head coach Matt Nagy being fired, and they are now on their third different offensive coordinator this upcoming season - firing Luke Getsy and replacing him with former Seattle Seahawks playcaller Shane Waldron.
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Fields' lack of interest in the trade market was peculiar, with some initially believing he could net a day second or third-round draft pick - before being moved for a sixth and joining a team where he will not start.
The Steelers have already announced that Russell Wison will be their starter - over Fields - after they had acquired the former Super Bowl winner from the Denver Broncos.
Pittsburgh may also have some bizarre plans for Fields, with current running back Jaylen Warren suggesting that he could be used as a kick returner - an extremely rare role for a quarterback.
When speaking on kick returns ahead of the new season, Warren said: "Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. And we all looked at him like, ‘Justin Fields boutta be back there‽’ But I think it’s pretty cool, as soon as you touch the ball that’s when everything starts to happen."
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