No surprise here: Justin Fields dubbed Bears player to root for in 2021

For the first time in a long time, there’s a sense of hope and excitement about the future of the Bears with Justin Fields.

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Justin Fields’ arrival in Chicago has completely changed the perception surrounding the Bears. Following a less-than-inspiring offseason where signing Andy Dalton was the highlight — or lowlight — the drafting of Fields changed everything.

For the first time in a long time, there’s a sense of hope and excitement about the future of this franchise with Fields at the helm — even if he’s not the starter just yet.

NFL.com’s Adam Rank selected one player from each NFL team to root for in 2021. And it should be no surprise that player for Chicago is Fields. Especially for a Bears fan like Rank.

I don’t want to make too big of a deal about this, but most Bears fans have never experienced life with a true franchise quarterback. Jim McMahon was great in 1985. Jay Cutler was better as a reality TV star (though I still contend Mike Martz ruined his football career). And sure, Cutler was a way better player than people give him credit for. But the trade up to select Justin Fields led to the first time, in what seems like forever, that Bears fans left the first round of the draft feeling elated. Now it’s time for him to become the Bears quarterback we’ve always wanted. 

Now the question becomes when Fields will finally get his chance to start. Right now, the plan is for Dalton to start while Fields develops behind him. But if Fields continues to build off his strong rookie minicamp performance — and proves that he’s the best option — he’ll certainly make things difficult on Matt Nagy, who doesn’t want to rush Fields.

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