CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears placed rookie quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, four days before he was slated to start the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.
Fields said in November he is vaccinated, so his placement on the list likely is the result of a positive test.
In new rules released in late December, the NFL mandates a five-day isolation period for players who test positive, with a possible return as long as they have been without a fever for 24 hours and symptoms are improving.
Players who are vaccinated can return sooner by returning more than one negative test, but such quick returns haven’t been the norm with the Bears.
Fields practiced in full Wednesday as he was gearing up to make his first start in three weeks. He had missed the previous two games as he recovered from an ankle injury and also missed two games in November and December with cracked ribs.
If he doesn’t return for the finale, he will have missed five of the Bears’ final seven games of the season.
In 12 games, including 10 starts, Fields has completed 159 of 270 passes for 1,870 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 73.2. He has been sacked 36 times and has fumbled 12 times (losing five) while running for 420 yards and two touchdowns.
Bears coach Matt Nagy said he wanted Fields to make one more start to try to finish his rookie season on a high note. Fields said he wanted to play for his teammates.
Fields is the second Bears player to go on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week after the Bears placed practice-squad linebacker Charles Snowden on it Wednesday.
The Bears had a COVID-19 outbreak in December that included 19 players and all three coordinators, but the last of the players from that surge — tight end Jesper Horsted and inside linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe — came off the list Monday.
