With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears are faced with a franchise-altering decision: stick with Justin Fields, or roll the dice on a rookie quarterback.
If the Bears do decide to move on, Fields said Thursday that he wouldn't hold it against the organization.
"Everybody would love honesty in the process," Fields said on "The Rich Eisen Show," according to NFL.com's Bobby Kownack. "I would definitely like to know that. It's a business, so I totally understand. No hard feelings. But like I said, I control what I can control. Control my work ethic. Control how I carry myself each and every day."
Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, and Kentucky's Will Levis are widely viewed as the top three quarterback prospects in the draft.
Young appears to be the current favorite to be the first signal-caller off the board, but with a host of quarterback-needy teams in the top 10, all three are projected to hear their names called early.
While Fields flashed star potential in his second season after becoming just the third quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards, his inconsistencies as a rookie passer continued in 2022.
The 23-year-old ranked 26th in passing yards (2,242), 16th in passing touchdowns (17), and 25th in passer rating (85.2) this past season. He also had the second-worst interception percentage (3.5%) and was sacked an NFL-high 55 times.
Fields - who was selected 11th overall in 2021 by the previous regime in Chicago - admitted he's yet to show his true abilities in the NFL.
"I think I've shown a little bit, but I don't think I've shown the world what I can do in terms of playing the full quarterback position and playing it consistently," Fields said. "I think there were some times this year where I was better than others."
He added: "So, just being more consistent for my teammates, for my coaches, and for the fan base. Once I do that, once I just keep progressing, keep getting better, then I'll be good."
Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in January that he'd have to be "absolutely blown away" to take a quarterback with the first overall selection.