It’s been quite a whirlwind of a season for the Chicago Bears, with everything from quarterback controversy to five-game losing streak to rumors of turmoil in the locker room and Matt Nagy’s immediate future.
But, at one point, the biggest topic of discussion was the ridiculous quarterback controversy between veteran Andy Dalton and rookie Justin Fields.
Nagy was steadfast in his commitment to Dalton, a veteran on a one-year deal, as he named him the starter immediately and never gave Fields a chance to earn the job or work with the starters. Even after Fields had made two starts and was starting his development on the field as a rookie, Nagy remained committed to Dalton returning as starter when healthy.
So when Nagy suddenly shifted gears and named Fields the permanent starter ahead of Chicago’s Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, many were curious if someone had stepped in and made the decision for him.
According to Hub Arkush, Bears chairman George McCaskey was the one who forced Nagy’s hand and instructed the Bears to make Fields the permanent starter moving forward.
The report came up during Nagy’s press conference on Friday morning, where he denied the report.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth,” Nagy said.
Matt Nagy denies that George McCaskey made the decision to make Justin Fields the starter.
“That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 26, 2021
Considering everything that’s transpired within the Bears organization this week, it’s hard to discern exactly what the truth actually is. But things will work themselves out as the final six weeks play out.
As for who the starting quarterback will be when Fields returns from a rib injury — which could be as early as a Week 13 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Nagy remained committed to his rookie quarterback.
“When Justin (Fields) is healthy, he’s the starter,” Nagy said on Friday. “That keeps it pretty simple.”
Then again, he reminded steadfast in his commitment to Dalton earlier this season, and we all saw how that turned out.
The difference is, there was never going back from Fields once he stepped on the field as a rookie.
