Justin Fields has five more games until he will inevitably undergo another evaluation from upstairs.
Are Kevin Warren and Ryan Poles comfortable with keeping Fields as their signal caller? Or, will they be motivated enough by the upcoming draft class or the free agent market to move on?
Whatever they decide, one Hall of Fame quarterback believes the Bears have already made up their minds.
"My thought is they probably already know the answer to that," Troy Aikman said on 670 the Score with Parkins & Spiegel. "I don't know that what he might show them here at the end of the season is going to affect that decision."
In eight games this season, Fields has thrown for just shy of 1,600 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has a 64.4% completion percentage and has added to his stat sheet dutifully on the ground, rushing for 400 yards and another touchdown.
By most metrics of efficiency, this season looks to be a positive year for Fields, improving upon his last two seasons. He holds career highs in passer rating, completion percentage, yards per game, interception percentage and sacks.
On the other hand, the Bears are 4-8 this season and 2-6 under his leadership. Tyson Bagent picked up two wins himself when he subbed in for Fields when he went down with a thumb injury in Week 5. Is Fields the right guy for the job? Or, is questioning his somewhat proven ability a product of today's NFL?
Chicago Bears
"I think the league is as less patient as it's ever been," Aikman said.
Today's NFL is a quarterback-driven league. No one's breaking news by saying that. The race to find a franchise quarterback is a race every team competes for at a tooth-and-nail pace.
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But not every quarterback comes into their own immediately upon arriving in the NFL. As they mentioned on the show, Terry Bradshaw didn't take off until his fifth year. Geno Smith just earned his first Pro Bowl nod in his ninth season. Everyone is different.
That begs the question --- is it too soon to bail on Fields? Or, do the Bears believe they've given him enough time, support and energy to confirm he isn't their guy. Aikman said it himself, too, the support a young quarterback has around him is essential.
"The quarterbacks in this league, they're all talented. And Justin Fields is very talented," Aikman said. "It's the intangibles. It's all the other things that ultimately determine whether or not you're going to have success. Not the mention, the players that you're going to have around you."
