Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions no longer have to see Justin Fields twice a year, as the Chicago Bears traded the quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month.
Count Campbell as someone who is relieved that he doesn’t have to regularly face Fields anymore.
“I’m not gonna lie, it’s nice to have Fields out of that division,” Campbell said, via Ryan Taylor of NBC Sports Chicago.
The Lions went 1-1 against Fields and the Bears in 2023, with Fields completing 35 of his 56 passes for 392 yards and a couple of touchdowns while also rushing for 162 yards and a score in those contests.
Campbell called Fields “dangerous” back in December, when the young signal-caller led Chicago to a 28-13 win over Detroit.
Fields, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by the Bears with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He played in 12 games and made 10 starts during his rookie campaign, throwing for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 58.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 73.2. He also rushed for 420 yards and a couple of scores.
The following year, Fields showed some improvement, totaling 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 picks while completing 60.4 percent of his throws and registering an 85.2 passer rating. Most impressive, he racked up 1,143 yards and eight scores on the ground, averaging a robust 7.1 yards per carry.
Fields then took another step forward as a passer this past season, finishing with 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and recording a passer rating of 86.3. He also tallied 657 yards while reaching the end zone four times as a rusher.
All of that being said, Fields’ lack of consistency prevented Chicago from committing to him long term, and with the Bears having the No. 1 overall pick and the opportunity to draft USC’s Caleb Williams next month, they decided to move on from Justin Fields.
And apparently, Dan Campbell is happy about it.
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