The Pittsburgh Steelers began this offseason looking for competition for Kenny Pickett at quarterback, and after signing Russell Wilson and subsequently trading Pickett, they shocked the world by trading next to nothing for Justin Fields. Fields struggled during his time with the Chicago Bears, but that might not have been all his fault, as the personnel in Chicago was constantly changing and he didn’t have any stability. However, it seems that Fields might actually have had no chance to succeed in Chicago, at least if one former Bears teammate is to be believed.
Davontae Harris was a cornerback in the NFL from 2018 to 2022, bouncing around between a few different teams but spending most of the 2022 season with the Bears. Harris was signed by Chicago in August of 2022 and stayed there until mid-November. In a recent appearance on the Bring The Juice podcast, Harris had some praise for Fields, stating he believes Fields can win the Steelers’ starting quarterback job. Harris also thinks Fields could have been a star in Chicago, but the organization was purposefully losing games.
“Justin’s one of the most down to Earth people in the world. The job was never not his. I think it’s a matter of what he makes it, and I’ve been around him. He’s gonna turn it into an opportunity,” Harris said. “There he can be a star [in Pittsburgh]. Obviously in Chicago he could too, but when I was in Chicago, they were playing to lose…When they’re planning to lose, it doesn’t matter what you do.”
That is quite the accusation from Harris, as he’s claiming that the Bears were losing games on purpose in 2022. When looking at their schedule that year though, it does make some sense. The Bears went 3-14 overall, and all three of those wins came before Week 8, with two being in first three weeks of the season. Even just during Harris’ stint with the team, they lost six games, and they didn’t win at all after he left. The Bears also completely overhauled their organization before that season, bringing in a new general manager and head coach.
As a result of their awful record that year, the Bears held the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, which they traded to the Carolina Panthers for receiver D.J. Moore and a treasure chest of draft capital. One of those picks became the first overall pick in this past year’s draft, which they used to select Caleb Williams, the quarterback that replaced Fields. If what Harris is alleging did occur, then it worked to perfection for the Bears, as they’ve completely rebuilt their team and have a young roster that oozes promise.
However, it also shows just how little of a chance Fields had to begin with in Chicago. The regime that drafted him was gone after his first year, and usually when a new head coach and front office are hired, they want to select their own quarterback. They don’t want to be tied to a player they didn’t draft. Therefore, it makes sense that Fields was left with little support during his time with the Bears, as the new brass wanted to be in a position to select their own franchise guy.
The Steelers benefited from this entire process, as they now have much more of a future at quarterback than they did previously. While some reports have claimed Fields has struggled so far, there’s still time for him to improve. It also seems like Harris has an extremely high opinion of Fields, a sentiment that other Bears teammates of his have shared before. Fields might not be the starter to open the season, but if the Steelers can get him back on track, they’ll no longer have to worry about quarterback. After all, if there’s one thing Mike Tomlin won’t do, it’s lose games on purpose.
