Chicago Bears News: Justin Fields signs rookie contract
The Chicago Bears are continuing the voluntary potion of their off-season program this week and on Thursday, the team secured a pivotal piece to their long-term future. On Thursday, Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields officially signed his contract with the team.
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported on Thursday that Fields has signed a four-year contract with the Bears worth a fully guaranteed $18,871,952. Fields’ contract also includes a signing bonus of $11,085,056.
Fields was never considered to be a potential rookie holdout but it is certainly an encouraging sign that he has signed his rookie contract with the team. This ensures that Fields will be on the practice field for the remainder of the Bears’ off-season program, as well as when training camp begins in July.
Fields has already been putting on an impressive show during practice. During Wednesday’s practice, Fields left media members, head coach Matt Nagy, and wide receiver Darnell Mooney in awe of his ability to throw the deep pass while having a “tear your heart out” mindset. Fields is still projected to be the backup quarterback to veteran Andy Dalton when the season starts but more practices like the one on Wednesday from Fields may quickly change that narrative.
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Justin Fields has officially signed his rookie contract for the Chicago Bears and that provides value moving forward.
Rookie quarterbacks are always a valuable commodity in the NFL. Valuable in the sense that it provides the organization with the potential of having franchise quarterback. Beyond that, rookie quarterbacks are also valuable because of their relatively inexpensive contracts.
Rookie contracts often afford NFL teams the opportunity to divert financial resources to other areas of the team. Look no further than the 2018 season for the Bears. Mitchell Trubisky was in the second year of his rookie contract with the Bears and that allowed general manager Ryan Pace to not only sign wide receiver Allen Robinson in the off-season but also trade for Khalil Mack prior to the start of the season.
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Having Fields on a rookie contract will work wonders for the Bears as they move forward as it means that once Dalton and Nick Foles clear the books after this season, the team will not be allocating a large portion of their financial resources on the quarterback position. This may aide Pace in his efforts sign Robinson to a contract extension prior to the July 15 deadline for players on the franchise tag but also construct an extension for linebacker Roquan Smith.