With Justin Fields now in Pittsburgh, it’ll be intriguing to observe his dynamic with Russell Wilson, especially considering his apparent lack of rapport with a previous Super Bowl-winning quarterback he played alongside. In his rookie season with the Chicago Bears, Fields shared the roster with Andy Dalton and former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Reports suggest that the atmosphere between Fields and the other quarterbacks, particularly Foles, was highly toxic, according to Tyler Dunne of Go Long.
With Justin Fields now in Pittsburgh, the dynamics between him and Russell Wilson will be closely watched, given his reported discord with a previous Super Bowl-winning quarterback. In his rookie year with the Chicago Bears, Fields shared the QB room with Andy Dalton and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. According to Tyler Dunne of Go Long, the atmosphere was described as “toxic as hell,” particularly between Fields and Foles. The tension allegedly escalated when Foles attempted to mentor Fields, only to find him disengaged. Despite the report being from an anonymous source, it aligns with earlier statements made by Josh Lucas, the Bears’ former director of player personnel, who hinted at tensions between Fields, Foles, and Dalton during an interview with Windy City Gridiron in February.
With Justin Fields now in Pittsburgh, his dynamic with Russell Wilson will be closely observed, given his reported discord with a previous Super Bowl-winning quarterback. During his rookie season in Chicago, Fields shared the roster with Andy Dalton and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. According to Tyler Dunne of Go Long, the relationship between Fields and the other quarterbacks was described as “toxic as hell,” particularly with Foles. The situation reportedly deteriorated when Foles attempted to mentor Fields, only to find him disengaged. This account aligns with statements made by Josh Lucas, the Bears’ former director of player personnel, who acknowledged tensions between Fields, Foles, and Dalton during an interview with Windy City Gridiron. Lucas admitted that while Fields was the most talented QB on the roster in 2021, the rookie wasn’t receptive to advice from the veteran quarterbacks, Dalton and Foles.
The part you don’t like about it is that there’s a teachable moment in every point of practice,” Lucas said. “There’s teachable moments in the building during the day, how you carry yourself as a quarterback. There’s teachable moments at press conferences. There’s teachable moments every snap on Sunday. When you’ve got two guys that have won as much as Nick and seen as much as Andy, and you don’t take that information in, because you’re a little standoffish and a little abrasive, you’re wasting that opportunity.”
Based on what Lucas is saying, it seems the Dalton and Foles were trying to help, but Fields wasn’t open to it.
Although they’re not teammates anymore, Fields has spoken positively about his relationship with Dalton, so it’s very possible that he just didn’t get along with Foles for whatever reason.
“He’s always been great to me. Always seen the bigger picture, not really getting that confusion,” Fields said of Dalton in February 2023, via BearsWire. “Just the situation we were in, not getting in the way with our relationship. Always kept it cordial with me and was kind of a big brother to me.”
With Fields currently expected to be the backup in Pittsburgh, it will be interesting to see how he handles working with and possibly learning from Russell Wilson.
