Colin Cowherd compares Bears' Justin Fields to Jets flop

FS1 personality Colin Cowherd took somewhat of a curious shot at Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields by comparing Fields to New York Jets flop Zach Wilson while discussing how Chicago media members allegedly treated Fields. 

"The Chicago media all season long tried to defend him, elevate him, protect him, promote him," Cowherd said about Fields during Monday's edition of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" program, as shared by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing. "Maybe they’re watching Ohio State film. You know what that is? The guy I keep comparing him to. Zach Wilson. But New York media never defends Zach Wilson. They call it as they see it, as they should. I respect that. Chicago media, 'This guy deserves another year.' He is, in the second half of the year, Zach Wilson."

Pro-Football-Reference shows that Fields finished this past regular season ranked 24th in the NFL among qualified players with a 46.1 adjusted QBR, 22nd with an 86.3 passer rating and 29th with a 61.4% completion percentage. To compare, Wilson was last in the league with a 30.6 QBR, 30th with a 77.2 passer rating and 30th with a 60.1% completion percentage. 

According to StatMuse, only Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens has rushed for more regular-season yards (2,352) than Fields (2,220) since the start of the 2021 campaign. Wilson, meanwhile, irritated some in the Jets locker room by lacking accountability in the fall of 2022 and was benched on multiple occasions across the past two seasons. 

Earlier this month, Jets owner Woody Johnson made it clear he felt the club "didn't have" a legitimate quarterback after Wilson replaced an injured Aaron Rodgers beginning with the 2023 regular-season opener on Sept. 11. 

Fields may not be a franchise savior, but Bears ownership has never flirted with throwing him under the bus like what Johnson did with Wilson ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

"The Chicago media has been protecting (Fields) and buying into this, 'We really like him.' Stop it. Come on," Cowherd added during the segment. 

Cowherd has a point about some believing the Bears could keep Fields atop their depth chart and trade the top pick of the 2024 draft for a haul of assets, but most think Chicago ultimately will use the No. 1 overall selection to replace Fields with USC Trojans star Caleb Williams. 

Either way, even hinting that Fields deserves the same "bust" label currently attached to Wilson seems harsh considering the Bears reportedly could get choices in the second and fourth rounds of this year's draft in return for Fields at a time when Wilson seemingly has little value on the trade market.