Why The Best Story Of 2022 Gives Justin Fields Hope In Chicago

Plenty of quarterbacks are playing terrific football to start 2022. Patrick Mahomes is in his usual MVP form. Justin Herbert has the most passing yards. Lamar Jackson has the most touchdowns. Yet none of them is the best story. That belongs to Geno Smith. Nobody expected what is happening in Seattle. Through the first four games, he’s completed over 77% of his passes for 1,037 yards, six touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Those are better numbers than Russell Wilson has in Denver. It is something that people concerned about Justin Fields should pay attention to.

Smith’s story is remarkably similar. He was a superstar in college at West Virginia. However, there were concerns about his field awareness and inability to handle pressure. Still, his exceptional talent was enough to get him drafted high in the 2nd round by the New York Jets in 2013. Unfortunately, he stepped into a less-than-ideal situation. Head coach Rex Ryan was already on the hot seat after two disappointing seasons in 2011 and 2012. He needed to show the team was heading in the right direction.

That is why Smith played immediately. Though the Jets went 8-8, the QB struggled. It didn’t get better the following year. New York failed to acquire any legitimate offensive talent to help Smith blossom. He got off to a terrible start in 2014, sealing Ryan’s fate. By the time he started to improve, it was too late. Smith finished those two seasons with a 57% completion rate, 25 TDs, 34 interceptions, and a 71.5 passer rating. He didn’t get a third year. The new coaching staff benched him for the next two years.

Geno Smith's 77.3% completion rate is the best in NFL history for any quarterback in the first four games of a season. It's also the fourth-best in NFL history for any quarterback in any four-game stretch ever.

And yet, Smith isn't a Captain Checkdown. Is he Seattle's future? pic.twitter.com/wiJ26UTicp

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) October 3, 2022

From there, Smith had to bide his time.

He spent the next six seasons as a backup with three different teams. There were signs he’d improved, posting a 93.2 passer rating across 15 appearances, including five starts. When the competition opened up for the starting job in Seattle, he seized it. Now he’s playing Pro Bowl-level football. It was evident that the Jets might’ve pulled the plug on him too early. Now that he has weapons and a solid line, he’s racking up numbers.

Justin Fields can follow a similar track.

He’s more talented than Smith in every way. He doesn’t have two things: experience in the system and a good supporting cast. He’s already working to fix the first issues. The Chicago Bears will have an excellent opportunity to correct the second next spring. GM Ryan Poles has amassed over $100 million in salary cap space and has both his top draft picks. If Smith could blossom once put in a favorable situation, there’s no reason to think Fields can’t.

This comes down to Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. How patient are they willing to be with their young quarterback? Both have stated they have high standards for every player on the roster. If you can’t meet those standards, you don’t play. Right now, Justin Fields isn’t playing like a starting NFL quarterback. If he doesn’t improve before the season ends, it will be tough to justify giving him another year. Then again, there is a reason patience is a virtue. Smith isn’t the first to prove that.