Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields will be eligible for a contract extension next year but isn’t thinking about that early into organized team activities.
“I think every year is a big year,” Fields told reporters during a Tuesday news conference, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “So, I mean, yeah—I don’t really have anything to expand on that. But for me, every year is a big year and I’m excited to show. I’m not worried about contracts, I’m worried about wins. I could care less.”
Fields, the No. 11 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, has gone just 5-20 as a starter with the Bears. Per ESPN stats, he finished the 2022 regular season first among all quarterbacks with 1,143 rushing yards and with a league-best average of 7.1 yards per carry. While the 24-year-old contributed 17 passing touchdowns and eight scores on the ground, he was also 32nd out of 34 qualified players with a 60.4% completion percentage.
Chicago gave Fields a vote of confidence when the club traded the first pick in this year’s draft to the Carolina Panthers rather than using it to either select a possible replacement or packaging it in a trade for a proven talent such as Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson. Fields seems to understand he’s expected to produce more than a few wins with the Bears’ roster this fall.
“For me, I just try not to make excuses,” he said on Tuesday. “I feel like I said this multiple times last year—no matter what the situation is, I’m going to go out there on the field and play my hardest for my teammates, for my coaches. So, that’s kind of how I look at it.”
If nothing else, the Bears have to decide about the fifth-year option attached to Fields’ rookie contract next spring. Fields earning that fully-guaranteed option for 2025 is no sure thing ahead of Memorial Day as he works toward improving as a passer up through the start of preseason action.
