Justin Fields Vows to Throw for 4,000 Yards, Break Bears Record in 2023
Despite being established in 1920, the storied Bears franchise has never produced a quarterback that has thrown for 4,000 yards in a single season.
While appearing on the All Things Covered podcast, starting signal-caller Justin Fields was asked if he will be the first Chicago quarterback to reach the plateau. Despite only averaging 2,056 passing yards in his first two seasons, the dual-threat talent believes he will make team history this upcoming season.
“The Bears have been around for 100 years. They’ve never had a quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards. We believe you are going to be in Chicago for a long, long time. Will you break that record?”, asked host Bryant McFadden.
“I will. I plan on doing it this year, too. I plan on doing it this year,” said a confident Fields.
Fields, who set the NFL single-game regular season record for quarterback rushing yards with a 178-yard effort against the Dolphins, is more known for his ability to gain yards on the ground.
In addition to becoming the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for a touchdown in six consecutive games, the former Ohio State standout became just the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, joining the exclusive company consisting of Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson.
The Bears franchise record for passing yards in a season is currently held by Erik Kramer, who amassed 3,838 yards back in 1995. Fields, who has averaged just 152.2 passing yards per contest through 27 career NFL games, would need to up his average to 235.3 this year to accomplish the desired feat.
Last season, only nine quarterbacks—Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, Josh Allen, Geno Smith and Trevor Lawrence—eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark.
