New Bears Quarterback Justin Fields: I'm Built For The Spotlight

CHICAGO — Justin Fields is confident enough to realize that the Chicago Bears traded up in the NFL Draft to take him with a very specific reason in mind. But the rookie quarterback is also smart enough to know that as his professional football career begins, he has to say the right things about where he sits in coach Matt Nagy’s pecking order so as to not ruffle any feathers.

Since being taken by the Bears with the 11th overall pick, the former Ohio State star has been anointed the franchise’s signal-calling savior by fans eager to put the Mitchell Trubisky experiment behind them once and for all. How that jibes with the Bears plans for the young quarterback who went 20-2 as a starter in college remains to be seen.

But as Fields enters his first NFL rookie camp this weekend at Halas Hall, he is taking the same approach he always has: to head into the season as the starting quarterback. The Bears have been careful to define his role, using terms such as "development" to speak of the heralded rookie who is now part of a quarterback room that includes veterans Andy Dalton and Nick Foles.

While Fields can appreciate his position and is quick to say he is comfortable with developing under the other two quarterbacks who will by vying for the Bears’ starting job, he is clear about one thing. His goal is to finish at the top of the heap.

“I think everybody on our team should be striving for a starting job — and if you’re not, then there’s no reason for you to be here,” Fields said Friday during a Zoom call with reporters. “So, of course, I’m going to do everything I can to get that starting job. It’s not up to me; coach Nagy has a set plan on my development and stuff like that, and so I’m just going to keep my head down and just keep grinding it out every day.”

Since the draft, Fields said he has been meeting over Zoom with Nagy and the Bears’ offensive staff to begin to digest the team’s offense. Nagy said during the off-season that he will again be calling the plays, which has led to mixed results in previous seasons.

To prepare, Fields has thrown himself into the playbook and has even created flashcards with offensive formations on one side and play calls on the other. Bears coaches said this week that they are looking for Fields to develop a command of the offense and to establish a voice that will be respected once the time comes for him to take over the quarterbacking duties.

When that is remains perhaps the biggest question heading into training camp. When the Bears signed Dalton in the offseason, the team famously send out a tweet with a photo of Dalton and the caption “QB1.” Now, donning a jersey with the No. 1 for all to see, Fields said he will fit into the Bears plans as they see fit.

Fields mentioned the matter of trust that must exist between players and coaches as a reason for him being willing to be patient. But after the Bears have struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position with Trubisky and Foles last season, when the Bears finished 8-8 and lost in the NFC Wild Card round of the playoffs, Fields wants to be part of a formula that puts the Bears back into contention for an NFC North championship and beyond.

Foles was among the first to reach out to Fields after he was drafted. The rookie said that he has appreciated the support he has received from the two veterans, both of whom have said that they will help the young quarterback out in any way they can, Fields said Friday.

Fields will get the chance to put his knowledge of the Bears offense on display in rookie camp. While he feels confident in his abilities to not only demonstrate the level of command his coaches are looking for, he wants to settle into an NFL mentality that will take time to develop.

"We'll know a lot more about Justin after this weekend in terms of where he's at mentally and the way he processes and thinks and those things," Bears quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo told reporters this week. "It's hard to tell over Zoom until you really get your hands on a player."

The Bears trade-up in this year’s draft marks the second time general manager Ryan Pace did so to grab a quarterback. Pace moved up to the No. 2 pick to select Trubisky ahead of Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, a move that blew up in his face much to the distain of Bears fans.

But the move up to the 11th spot to take Fields was met with excitement and anticipation. Now, as Fields tries to navigate through what is expected to be a high-profile quarterback competition this summer, the fact he has been placed in high-pressure situations throughout his career will serve him well, he said.

“I’m not oblivious — I know I’m not going to come out here and be mistake-free,” Fields said Friday. “Mistakes are going to happen as a rookie. It’s just learning from those mistakes and getting better each and every day — just progressing.”

He added: “I kind of feel like I’m made for (being in the spotlight), I’m built for this. It’s nothing new to me. I’m just going to continue to work hard and continue to get better every day.”