It’s not as if there was ever a doubt, but …
Now it’s officially official:
The #Bears agreed to terms with first-round pick Justin Fields on a fully guaranteed four-year, $18,871,952 contract that includes a $11,085,056 signing bonus, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 10, 2021
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reports Fields and the Bears have come to terms on a fully guaranteed four-year contract. That’s standard for first-round rookie deals. It’s a deal that comes with a signing bonus of $11,085,056 and is worth a total of $18,871,952. This means the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is officially on the books for this year, the next three after that, and a possible fifth-year option. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.
In the meantime, I’ll be thinking about how Fields’ contract is an absolute steal from a value standpoint. Consider this: Fields’ $18.8 million in totality is less squeezed between Taysom Hill (Saints) and Case Keenum (Browns). On a per-year average, we’re talking less than Cam Newton ($5.1 million) and a few million north of Lamar Jackson ($2.367 million). We have spoken on this before, but quarterbacks on rookie deals are worth their weight in gold. If Fields is as good as we think he can be, then the Bears can truly max out on this window while preparing to offer the world if he meets and exceeds expectations.
Right now, it’s reassuring that Fields and his contract are squared away. No, there weren’t any murmurs about a holdout. But it’s always nice to have “I’s” dotted and “T’s” crossed on a contract where the ink is dry. This leaves second-round tackle Teven Jenkins as the only Bears draft pick who hasn’t signed a rookie deal.
UPDATE — Now it’s super official:
We have signed @justnfields to his rookie contract. 🐻⬇️@Hyundai | #DaBearshttps://t.co/Zji89GvuZY
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) June 11, 2021