Some people may not understand the reasons behind why certain players care about their draft status. Isn’t being drafted enough? This demonstrates a misunderstanding. Draft status matters to these young men for a number of reasons. Not the least of which is money. Justin Fields will make $18.9 million over the first four years of his NFL career for going 11th overall. By contrast, Zach Wilson who went #2 overall to the Jets? He’ll make $35.2 million. That is a difference of $16.3 million. That is how much that draft day slide cost the Chicago Bears quarterback.
Yet it goes beyond that. One must never underestimate the competitive nature of these young men. Draft position is a status symbol to many. Indicative of their perceived value in the world of football. The higher you go, the better you’re viewed by the NFL. For the longest time, Fields was widely accepted as the #2 player in the country behind Trevor Lawrence. Then over the course of just a couple of months, he dropped to #11. For somebody like him? That was a slap in the face.
One that he hasn’t forgotten according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“His comment this week that said, ‘I’m built for this kind of challenge,’ they love that. They want a true alpha; a guy who is going to answer the bell at every stop. He did that in the Clemson game last year at Ohio State, five-star quarterback in high school, and so, they’re just going to give him as much as he can handle. They like that he’s coming off of the 11th overall pick where he fell in the draft a little bit, they believe that will give him an edge.
“This team thinks they can win with Andy Dalton, with a defense and capable ball-control offense, but if this guy comes along as fast as they think he might be able to, he can be in the lineup sooner than later.”
Anybody who watched Fields over the days following his selection saw a player stonefaced. Was that an indication of his unhappiness coming to Chicago? Not at all. It was more about his exhaustion with the draft process and frustration that he fell as far as he did. The young QB stated that he believed he’s the best in the class at his position. So to be the fourth guy taken? Yeah, it is easy to understand why he’s upset.
Since then he has taken to his new job with relentless fervor. Calling up coaches late at night asking about cadences. Working to memorize plays using flashcards. Practically living in the weight room. Correcting wide receivers when they run the wrong routes. Fields has taken to his new job with restless energy and by the sound of it? The Bears only plan to fan those flames.
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Justin Fields is determined to accelerate the Bears’ plans
He made two things clear during his first press conference as rookie minicamps opening. The first being that he understands the plan head coach Matt Nagy and his staff have for him. They know where they want to go and how they’re going to get there. He’ll adhere to their wishes. At the same time, he has a plan of his own. Put simply? To perform at such a level in practice that they have no choice but to consider elevating him to the starting job earlier than anticipated.
Justin Fields was never known for being the patient type. When it became clear he wasn’t going to be the starter at Georgia going into his sophomore season? He decided to transfer to Ohio State and fought a legal battle to earn the right to play immediately. Then when it seemed like the Big Ten wasn’t going to play football in 2020 due to the pandemic? He launched a public campaign to ensure that didn’t happen. Then after the conference got the green light, he took the Buckeyes to the national championship.
This kid operates according to his own timeline.
The Bears didn’t draft him to quietly wait his turn. They drafted him to be their franchise quarterback. His job is to seize control of this organization and carry it to success. It is what he’s “built for” as he put it. No disrespect to Andy Dalton. He understands the veteran was promised the starting job when he signed back in March. The truth is this is the NFL. Nobody is truly promised anything in this league.