Justin Fields has been the subject of trade rumors since the Bears secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- they also hold the No. 9 overall selection -- but Fields recently said that he wants to stay in Chicago.
"Yeah. Of course. Of course I want to stay," Fields said during an appearance on the St. Brown Bros Podcast posted on Wednesday, the quarterback's first public statements since the end of the regular season. "I can't see myself playing in another place, but I know how the league is.
"… If it was up to me I would stay in Chicago. I love the city. The city's lit. The fans there, they're great. But it's a business. I ain't got no control over it, so whatever happens happens."
Fields told teammate Equanimeous St. Brown and Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown that he did not know what the Bears' plans are and that he hasn't received any word from the team on what they plan to do.
"I feel like the biggest thing with all of this going on right now is I just want it to be over," Fields said. "Just let me know if I'm going to be traded. Let me know if I'm staying."
Fields was asked about recently unfollowing the Bears on social media, but he laughed off the comments, saying he wanted to take a break from football prior to his planned vacation.
"Why do people take social media so serious?" Fields said. "I'm just trying to take a little break. I unfollowed the Bears and the NFL (accounts). I'm just trying not to have football on my timeline ... I'm about to go on vacation, I don't want to see no football."
If the Bears do plan to trade Fields, there could be multiple teams interested. The Georgia native could even be in the mix for the Falcons, who struggled to a 7-10 record with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke at quarterback.
Even though he said he'd prefer to stay with the Bears, Fields sounded open to the idea of returning to his home state.
"The only con of going back home would be people hitting my phone crazy. Wanting tickets to the game," Fields said.
"But I think they got a lot of playmakers on the team. Of course, Bijan [Robinson]. They got my boy, Kyle [Pitts], and then, of course, Drake [London], too. They probably need one more receiver, but they've definitely got some guys over there. The defense was good this year, too."
The Bears have yet to speak with much certainty on Fields' future. General manager Ryan Poles last spoke on Jan. 10, saying: "What we're going to do is do what's best for the organization," Poles said. "I'm sure there's going to be similar situations in terms of the trade back, and I've got to weigh all of those things to see what's going to help our team take the next step."
The 2024 NFL Combine begins next week in Indianapolis, where Fields Watch could really heat up.
