The Chicago Bears will play against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday at Soldier Field. Back in 2021, San Francisco selected Trey Lance over Justin Fields with the No. 3 overall pick. That said, Fields said he was not planning to exact revenge on the team, saying it was just “Moon being Moon.”
In exchange for the No. 12 overall selection in 2021, first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, and a 2022 third-round pick, San Francisco received the No. 3 pick from the Miami Dolphins.
Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney warned that the 49ers would regret using the pick to select North Dakota State’s Lance over Ohio State’s Fields. However, Fields insisted that the past was in the past. He said he would rather focus to give his best for his current team.
“I don’t take anything personal,” Fields said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “I’m glad to be here. I’m glad they passed on me. I’m just ready to play this weekend.
“The draft is the draft. The draft doesn’t matter at this point. Mooney, you can take Mooney, for example. He got passed by 32 teams, so it’s like, you’re in the league now, do your job now. Boom. Execute at a high level. It is what it is. It’s Week 1. We’re here to play ball. We’re not worried about last year’s draft, ‘Oh, this team passed on me.’ We’re not thinking about that.”
Fields and Lance used to work out together before the draft. When asked about his opinion on Lance, Fields praised his counterpart.
“I think he’s a good quarterback,” Fields said, “Athletic. He’s my guy. He’s a good person, for sure.”
San Francisco has appointed the 22-year-old Lance starter for the team’s 2022 campaign.
Chicago as Fields’ motivation
Fields’ motivation for Sunday’s game against the 49ers comes from within. When asked what motivated him, Fields said it was his team.
“My guys in my locker room,” Fields said. “Just seeing the work we put in. Coach says all the time, it’s about us. It’s not about the 49ers this week. It’s about us — how we play; how we execute. So, I’m just playing for my teammates, playing for my coaches and going out here and executing to the best of my ability.”
For eight months, Fields has been working tirelessly to rebuild his footwork, change his mechanics, and improve his pocket presence. Furthermore, he is also working on the leadership role that the Bears’ new regime has entrusted him.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said that Field was trying to be the best quarterback he could be.
“He’s proven that every single day since I’ve been here,” Eberflus said Wednesday.
“Yeah, motivation is funny, isn’t it? Sometimes different people are motivated a certain way, and I think if you have that under control, meaning self-control, and use that the right way to motivate you, I think there’s nothing wrong with that. That can be whatever. That can be anything.”
The game between the Bears and the 49ers will kick off at 10 a.m. PT.