Chicago Bears

Bears QB Justin Fields on playing in Chicago weather: 'I hope we get a dome'

Published Feb. 17, 2023 3:24 p.m. ET

With Super Bowl LVII in the books, the focus across the NFL universe now shifts to the 2023 NFL Draft, which is quickly approaching. There has been plenty of chatter recently surrounding what the Chicago Bears plan to do with the No. 1 pick in this year's draft, and in return, what that means for quarterback Justin Fields.

Amidst the uncertainty, Fields made some illuminating comments about Chicago's weather on a recent podcast appearance, saying that he hopes the Bears organization — which just purchased a 326-acre property that they’ve been sizing up for a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights — pivots to an enclosed stadium in the future.

"It is very difficult to adjust to it, especially with the wind," Fields said. "It can be cold. It can be 10 degrees, but with no wind you’re fine. But with that 15 mph wind, that 20 mph wind, you can’t fight it, it’s tough. When it’s that cold, you have to bundle up. I feel way slower in that cold. It's tough. … It’s hard to stay warm in that weather.

"I hope we get a dome," Fields added. "I don’t care if we’re at Soldier Field, I don’t care if we’re at Arlington Heights. I hope we get a dome."

Colin Cowherd reacted to Field's comments on Friday's "The Herd," calling out the 23-year-old signal-caller for viewing the Bears' current setup at Soldier Field as a disadvantage when he should be looking at it through a different lens.

"There has always been an understanding [that] cold weather is harder to play in for quarterbacks," Cowherd said. "But yet, [Tom] Brady, [Patrick] Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Big Ben [Roethlisberger] often saw it as an advantage.

"Justin Fields, from South Georgia — a lot warmer, does not like the cold weather. … It is an edge to play in Chicago. Fields sees it as an issue. … I get it. It's cold. Great quarterbacks are not seeking comfort."

Justin Fields admits he dislikes Chicago's cold weather

Justin Fields doesn't like playing in Chicago's cold weather, saying "I hope we get a dome." Colin Cowherd explains why the Bears must look for a new QB.

Fields, who is just two years into his NFL career, is 0-7 in games when the temperature was 40 degrees or below. In those games, he has a 65.1% completion percentage with nine touchdowns, six interceptions and an 85.3 passer rating.

The Bears, with Fields at the helm, played one of the coldest home games in franchise history this past season against Buffalo in December. The temperature was 9 degrees, the fifth-coldest home game the Bears have played at Soldier Field, with a wind chill of -12 at kickoff, which is tied for the third-coldest in the history of Bears home games.

Chicago is the second-coldest and the fifth-windiest NFL city with an outdoor stadium, per Weather Underground. Soldier Field, where the Bears currently play, is located near the southwest corner of Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. As the football season progresses, temperatures of the lake will drop around 8 to 10 degrees per month until January, where it'll sit just at or above freezing for the rest of the season, per FOX Weather.

On average, daytime temperatures at Soldier Field don't rise above freezing in late November and December days.

"When you're already talking about [how] you don’t like the cold, you don't like the wind, 'I don't run as fast' — I don't like it either, but I'm not going public as a quarterback," said Cowherd, who thinks the Bears should move Fields and draft a new quarterback in April.

"If you look at the history of cold weather, it's big, strong-armed guys that win. … You could completely manipulate this if you're Chicago — get picks from Atlanta, get picks from Indianapolis."

[Should Chicago consider trading Justin Fields and drafting a QB?]

Chicago finished the 2022 campaign with an NFL-worst 3–14 record. Fields threw for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while adding a franchise-record 1,143 yards on the ground and eight rushing touchdowns. In doing so, he became just the third QB in NFL history to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark, joining Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson.

Despite Fields' record-setting rushing numbers, the Bears finished the 2022 campaign with one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They averaged 130.5 passing yards (last in NFL), 307.8 total yards (28th) and 19.2 points (23rd) per game.

Fields appeared in 12 games in his rookie season (2021), making 10 starts. In that season, he totaled 1,870 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 73.2 passer rating, completing 58.9% of his passes. On the ground, Fields racked up 420 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Chicago is 9-25 over the last two seasons.

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