Bears quarterback Justin Fields had a breakout year in his second season with the Bears, where he established himself as one of the league’s most exciting young players.
Fields showed his star potential with his athleticism and speed, rushing for 1,143 yards, nearly breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record. While Fields still has some work to do as a passer, this season has been a big step forward for the former first-round pick.
But beyond his improvement on the football field, Fields has done his part as the leader of this team. That’s something new Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren knew before Fields was filmed in Chicago.
Fields and Warren have crossed paths during their time in the Big Ten, including during the COVID years, when Fields organized a petition to help restart football.
It was that experience in 2020 that showed Warren that Fields was a great leader, and that’s exactly what the Bears needed.
“What Justin told me was that he was passionate,” Warren said. “My whole goal is to try to keep the players safe. I’m grateful for him to be in a leadership role. I called him on draft day and I’m glad he got drafted by the Bears because from a leadership standpoint, it’s you needed.
“I have the greatest respect for him because I know he’s going to give it his all and play what he can be a leader. He wants to win titles. Those are the guys I want because if someone doesn’t get angry [not] I’m really worried about playing. I knew if I was in the Big Ten and someone did what I did, yeah, I’d lead a revolt to play because that’s my passion to capitalize on it. So I think it’s great. “
We’ve seen Fields really come into his own this season, rallying his players and setting the standard during a 3-14 season. Even with the mounting losses, Fields and his team didn’t give up. We even saw Fields step in and talk to receiver Chase Claypool, who exploded in Week 17 against the Lions.
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Story originally appeared on Bears Wire
