Fields completed 19 of 40 passes for 166 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, both of which came on Hail Mary attempts at the end of each half. On the final play of the game, Fields launched a deep ball into the end zone that bounced out of receiver Darnell Mooney’s grasp to seal the loss for Chicago.
As Mooney answered questions postgame about the Bears’ final play, the fourth-year wide receiver was also asked about his confidence in Fields remaining as Chicago’s quarterback after the 2023 season.
“Justin is the quarterback of the future,” Mooney said. “He’s this franchise’s quarterback. He’s been balling. I don’t understand why it’s any more questions of that. Obviously, we have the first-round pick because of Carolina right now but Justin’s a dog. If he’s not here, he’ll be somewhere else balling. I’m not the guy that makes those decisions, but Justin’s a dog. So, wherever he may be, if it’s not here, somewhere else, he’s still going to ball.”
Chicago is currently in possession of the No. 1 overall pick due to the Carolina Panthers’ league-worst 2-12 record. The Bears sent the first pick in the 2023 draft to the Panthers last March in exchange for four draft picks (Nos. 9 and 61 in 2023, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick) and wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore lamented that he had also been asked the same question recently regarding Fields’ future in Chicago given the potential for the Bears to use their high draft capital to draft a rookie quarterback.
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