Two weeks of Chicago celebrating him as the quarterback to save the Bears from their decades of offensive tedium is nothing to rookie Justin Fields.
He’s been a star since he was a teenager, playing on national television and having his wild college recruitment covered in a Netflix documentary, then took center stage at Ohio State — playing bigger games than any of the Bears’ the last two seasons.
So he’s fine with the frenzy. Bring it.
“I’m made for this,” he said. “I’m built for this. It’s nothing new to me.”
Fields can take the first step toward proving that when he hits the field Friday afternoon for rookie minicamp. It will be his first practice since the Bears traded up, including their 2022 first-round pick, to take him at No. 11 overall.
They’ve penciled in free agent Andy Dalton as the starter, but it’d be foolish to count Fields out. He’s been studying the last two weeks and will get a crash course in the offense this weekend against fellow rookies to prep him for competing with Dalton and Nick Foles in Organized Team Activities.
The Bears have four weeks of OTAs and minicamp scheduled, though that could change because of ongoing negotiations with the players’ union, and then the real competition begins with the opening of training camp in late July.
Fields is realistic about battling two quarterbacks with a decade in the league, but he’s eager to take his shot.
“I’m not oblivious,” he said of the competition. “I know I’m not gonna come out here and be mistake-free. Mistakes are gonna happen as a rookie. It’s just learning from those mistakes and getting better each and every day.”
