Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
To the Chicago Bears fans who filled Soldier Field with “We want Fields!” chants in the final home game of 2023, Justin Fields wants you to know he loves you.
Fans began chanting Fields’ name in the closing minutes of the Bears’ 37-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on New Year’s Eve. The 2021 first-round pick had played one of his best games of the season, complete with a Houdini escape from multiple defenders on a key third-down play that ended with him scrambling up the sideline for a first down.
More importantly, though, the uproar felt directed toward Bears general manager Ryan Poles and the team’s ownership, who will weigh Fields’ future in the months ahead. The Bears locked up the No. 1 overall pick (via Carolina) in Week 17 and will have the ability to draft any quarterback they want from the 2024 class, should they desire a change.
Whatever happens, Fields wants the fans to know he has appreciated their dedication over his first three seasons in Chicago and considers them “No. 1 in the world.”
“I mean, I heard it. It was great,” Fields said in the postgame. “Ever since the moment I got here, the fans here have been great — to me, to the team. I was saying to somebody in there, like, last year when we didn’t have a good record, they’re still showing up late in the season, cheering us on. So Chicago Bears fans are definitely No. 1 in the world and just know I love y’all, we love y’all as a team.”
Falcons Win Gave Justin Fields Unforgettable Moment
The potential finality of Sunday’s win over the Falcons isn’t lost on Fields. He knows the Bears could choose to select a new franchise quarterback now that they have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft through Carolina. He has proven dynamic and capable during stretches of his tenure with the Bears, but there are also legitimate arguments that he has not done so consistently enough to get a full vote of confidence.
The nature of the business can be that way sometimes. Most of these guys know that.
So, with his future in mind, did Fields take a moment to soak in the sights and sounds of Soldier Field one last time before walking off in their 2023 home finale?
“I did, but I always do that,” Fields said. “I just made a big emphasis on living in the present moment. I will definitely remember this game for the rest of my life. The atmosphere, the fans, the chants, the snow. I don’t like snow as a quarterback, but looking back on it, it was great, just the atmosphere, the fans the game and playing my hometown team where I’m from, beating them. It was a good day today.”
Justin Fields Feels Bears Have Reached New High
Fields has gone through some turbulent times through his first three seasons with the Bears. He started as the backup behind Andy Dalton as a rookie as Matt Nagy tried to save his job and finished that season with an injury. Then, in 2022, he played with one of the worst receiver rooms in the NFL while learning a complex new offense.
Now, though, with the wins finally starting to come, Fields believes the vibes and the chemistry in the locker room are as good as they have been in his three-year tenure.
“Most definitely,” Fields said Sunday. “With the wins going along and, like I said, just the team camaraderie that we have, everybody just loving on each other and having that relationship with guys in the locker room — It feels like high school or college again when you get those old memories again, but that’s what it feels like. It’s a great feeling and ready to take on Green Bay next week.”