Even when Matt Nagy wasn’t obligated to defend Justin Fields, he continued to go to bat for the young quarterback.
Nagy was canned by the Chicago Bears following this past season after another underwhelming campaign. The 2021 season saw the Bears shuffling through quarterbacks in Andy Dalton, Nick Foles and Fields, the latter of whom figures to be Chicago’s long-term option under center.
But for all the inspiring moments Fields had in 2021, there also were plenty of red flags, and the situation under center was a constant topic of discussion.
Now, it’s that’s Matt Eberflus’ problem to figure out. But during an appearance Tuesday on the “Rich Eisen Show”, Kyle Brandt, who co-hosts “Good Morning Football,” shared some details of a text exchange he had with Nagy after the coach was fired.
“Candidly, after he was released I had a text exchange with Matt Nagy, after he was let go," Brandt said. "And I thought he was really cool and I thought he was really magnanimous, and he just said ‘Someday maybe you and I can talk about this, but I can tell you this: Justin Fields has it. He has everything. He is the real deal, they got the right guy, he will be a star in this league.’ And went on to explain some things about why it didn’t work out.
“This is a private text. He could’ve easily said that guy is a fraud, he should’ve stayed in college. He loves him, loves him. And (Nagy) had nothing to gain from that.”
The Bears’ issues run far deeper than Fields, but the 2022 campaign ultimately might decide if there is long-term comfort in his ability, or if it will be back to the drawing board for 2023.
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