Justin Fields is the NFL’s next Breakout Star

The Chicago Bears and their fans have waited seemingly forever for a franchise quarterback to come along.

Ever since Sid Luckman was the Bears quarterback in the 1940s, the franchise has been looking for a long-term answer. Jim McMahon won a Super Bowl, but he wasn’t elite. Erik Kramer, Jay Cutler, Mitchell Trubisky, and countless others have not been the answer. However, a 23-year-old from Ohio State may be.

Enter Justin Fields.

Selected 11th overall in the 2021 NFL draft, he is oozing with potential and has begun to show brilliance lately after a slow start to his career.

The electric dual-threat quarterback has shown he can beat teams with his arms and legs, accumulating 16 total touchdowns in his last five games played while only throwing three interceptions in that time frame.

Against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9, Fields set an NFL record for most single-game rushing yards in a regular season game by a quarterback with 178. In that game, he set the Bears’ record for longest rushing touchdown by a quarterback at 61 yards, and the very next week against the Detroit Lions, broke it again with a 67-yard touchdown run.

Fields is showing how special he is, even in a down year for the franchise.

The Bears currently sit at 3-8 but are in a position to have the second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. General manager Ryan Poles has a golden opportunity in front of him to quickly revamp the roster in the draft and free agency; since the Bears also have the league’s most cap space at over $100 million to spend.

Wide receiver help will be needed even with the trade deadline acquisition of Chase Claypool. If Fields can have a true number-one wideout to pair with Claypool and Darnell Mooney, the offense will be even more lethal. Adding more protection up front is also necessary, specifically at both tackle spots and center. With draft picks and more cap space able to be spent on defense, the Bears could make a turnaround from worst to first as soon as next year.

But don’t get it twisted, Fields will be the main reason for that to happen. The Chicago Bears are in a position their franchise has not been in a long time, with a quarterback spearheading an age of sustained success.