Bears Rumors: QB Room Was 'F--king Toxic as Hell' with Justin Fields, Nick Foles

Justin Fields didn't enjoy his time with Nick Foles and Andy Dalton during the 2021 season.

According to NFL writer Ty Dunne (h/t Beth Mishler-Elmore of Heavy), both veterans were willing to mentor Fields that year but the then-rookie quarterback reportedly wasn't interested, creating a quarterback room that was "f--king toxic as hell."

"There were several arguments amongst the QBs," Dunne wrote. "Once, per one source, Foles was trying to teach something to Fields in the QB room and—upon turning toward the rookie—Foles realized Fields wasn't even paying attention. His head was down. At that point, Foles was done trying to play mentor. The two could not stand each other."

It got bad enough, a source told Dunne, that the trio ultimately "never were together. It was always Andy and Nick walking side by side and Justin always 15 yards behind them."

To be fair to all involved, it was an odd situation. Ahead of the 2021 season, the team let Mitchell Trubisky walk in free agency and signed Dalton to a one-year, $10 million contract. The belief was that Dalton would likely be either a bridge quarterback or a backup mentor for an incoming rookie at the position.

But Foles was already on the roster after the team traded for him the prior offseason. The former Super Bowl MVP had struggled when given playing time in 2020, finishing with 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions across nine total games, and the team was just 2-5 in his starts.

So when Chicago drafted Fields, he walked into a quarterbacks room with not one, but two proven—but by this point in their careers, wildly inconsistent—veterans in the mix. That's a lot of voices (and potentially big egos) at one position.

Dalton was named the starter before the season began but Fields ultimately took over that position, and all three men saw the field in 2021.

That quarterback room didn't last long. Dalton signed in New Orleans the following offseason and Foles was cut shortly after. That wasn't the only change—head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were fired and replaced by Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles, respectively.

Fields remained, though he never emerged as a no-brainer franchise option and seemed to struggle with accuracy, progressing through his reads and making quick decisions. So when Chicago ended with the top overall pick in this year's NFL draft and had the opportunity to select USC star Caleb Williams, the decision seemed easy enough, and the team traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There will be arguments about whether Chicago ever truly put Fields in the best position to win or surrounded him with viable weapons. If he thrives in Pittsburgh, that talk will only intensify.

Regardless, he'll find himself in a familiar position in the Steel City, backing up another proven but past-his-prime veteran in Russell Wilson. The Steelers will be hoping the situation isn't as awkward or prickly as Fields' time with Foles and Dalton in 2021.