If the Chicago Bears want to go in a different direction at quarterback, the upcoming draft represents the perfect opportunity. But top wideout DJ Moore would be plenty content if they stuck with Justin Fields.
The polarizing quarterback’s future has been the subject of incessant speculation. Fields has had his moments in Year 3, but some of the question marks that have surrounded him when he broke into the NFL remain. He has the potential to be a franchise quarterback, but hasn’t shown it so consistently to eliminate any doubt.
Chicago could end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft via Carolina, which sent its 2024 first-round pick to the Bears in the Moore trade. The draft class is loaded with quality quarterback talent, headlined by USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Moore said Sunday after the Bears lost to the Browns that he doesn’t think they’re better than Fields. He reiterated that Monday in his weekly appearance on Mully & Haugh.
“Just being here for the whole season now and part of the offseason, I’ve seen him grow and I can see where he wants to be and where he’s headed towards,” Moore said. “So I’m like, I don’t really see how they could say that he’s not the quarterback for the Chicago Bears right now.
“He’s been doing everything that’s asked of him, keeping us in games and stuff like that. His growth has been phenomenal, I would say. The outside noise, I’ve heard it for two weeks now from the media in the locker room and they've got to do it to do it. But at the end of the day, I’m standing by what I said this past weekend.”
Moore told the show he has not directly relayed those thoughts to the front office so as not to be a distraction.
For now, the star receiver has seen Fields simply stay within himself as the rumors swirl.
“I don’t think it has taken a toll, but he definitely probably hears it more than anybody in the locker room,” Moore said. “He doesn’t bring it up, he handles it by just going out there and doing him. That’s all you can really do, you can’t just go cry about it or be in the huddle and be like 'Man, I’m out of here.' He hasn’t done that. Everything that’s going on he’s been positive and just himself.”