Bears’ Kevin Warren has ‘greatest amount of respect’ for Justin Fields — and that matters

While Warren will be judged by how he shepherds the Bears toward their next stadium, he knows that winning will also shape his legacy. And nothing in the sport affects winning more than a quarterback.

SHARE Bears’ Kevin Warren has ‘greatest amount of respect’ for Justin Fields — and that matters
Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren listens to chairman George McCaskey speak on Tuesday.

Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren listens to chairman George McCaskey speak on Tuesday.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Asked why the Bears didn’t win more during his tenure, outgoing president/CEO Ted Phillips pointed to under center.

“Let’s see, we’ve had 45 different quarterbacks, I think, since we won the Super Bowl,” he said Tuesday. “So that’s probably No. 1.”

Technically, 44 quarterbacks have started for the Bears since 1986 — thanks to new additions Trevor Siemian and Nathan Peterman in a woeful 3-14 season.

To paint it as a damn-our-luck situation, though, is passing the buck far more efficiently than the Bears have ever passed the ball. The inability to find a steady quarterback through the draft (No. 2 pick Mitch Trubisky), trade (Jay Cutler for two first-round picks, a third-rounder and Kyle Orton) and free agency (too many to name) has been, for decades, an organizational failure.

That’s why it matters that Kevin Warren, who is taking Phillips’ place, has some experience with quarterback Justin Fields. And that he likes him.

While Warren will be judged by how he shepherds the Bears toward their next stadium, he knows that winning also will shape his legacy. And nothing in the sport affects winning more than a quarterback.

“I have the greatest amount of respect for [Fields] because I know he’s gonna do everything he possibly can with the talent that he has to be a leader,” Warren said. “He wants to win championships.”

Speaking publicly for the first time since the 2022 season began, chairman George McCaskey managed to praise Fields for almost everything but his production. The implication: He needs to get better, even if the Bears like his intangibles.

“Well, I’m not a football evaluator,” McCaskey said, giving his usual caveat. “But what I saw that I liked was his leadership, his toughness, his work ethic. His teammates love him. He wants to win. He wants to be great. And he wants to bring championships to Chicago. So there’s a lot to like there.”

McCaskey and Warren pointed to intangibles because that’s a safer argument than citing passing statistics. The same can be said about McCaskey’s evaluation of coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles after the first 14-loss season in franchise history.

“What were some of the things that [I] really appreciated?” he said. “Obviously the record wasn’t there, but you like the direction this thing is going.

“The players are buying into it. They’re giving it everything they’ve got. We have a lot of opportunity to improve with Ryan and Matt and Kevin.”

And with Fields. 

On Tuesday, Warren walked into the weight room at Halas Hall to find Fields working out. They embraced.

He and Warren met in 2020, when the then-Big Ten commissioner canceled fall sports because of the coronavirus. Fields, at Ohio State, was among the players to protest. The league eventually decided to play a truncated season.

“Those are the people that I want,” Warren said. “Because if someone was not upset about [not] playing, then I really would be concerned.”

He has him now.

“He’s talented,” Warren said. “He’s a leader. I loved his passion.”

NOTE: Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was named the coach of the American team for the Senior Bowl on Feb. 4 in Mobile, Alabama.

For the first time in the 74-year history of the college all-star game, full NFL staffs will not coach. Instead, NFL Football Operations took nominations from all non-playoff teams. Senior Bowl leadership and NFL executives chose the staffs from among the nominees. Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, assistant special-teams coach Carlos Polk and assistant tight ends coach Tim Zetts also will participate.

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