Young and Old Players Alike See Incentive

Whether it's players starting out like quarterback Justin Fields or cornerback Thomas Graham Jr., or an old hand like Akiem Hicks, the Bears say they have motivation to play through the final three games despite their also-ran status.

The final three games to this season mean nothing for the Bears in the standings and even carry less significance for their draft status than normal because they dealt away their first-round pick for the right to select Justin Fields.

 However, players say they will still have plenty to play for in Seattle on Sunday and then in the final two regular-season games against the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings.

It's much different playing as a team unified in effort at home than on the road in December once eliminated and every player has their personal situation in mind rather than only the victory.

For tight end Cole Kmet, quarterback Justin Fields and younger Bears, it's really not much different than the rest of the season.

"I mean obviously you know you never want to be in this position where you're eliminated from the playoffs with three weeks to go and football left to play; you always want to be in the hunt in that regard," Kmet said.

It's even tougher with COVID-19 hitting at the same time.

"I think for me personally, there's still lot to play for personally and just for the pride," Kmet said. "I think a lot of guys pride themselves with where they're at in this game and putting their best stuff on film.

"I feel like guys have a lot to play for in that regard, and in that respect you'll see guys still playing hard to the end."

Establishing Momentum for 2022 Bears

For Fields, it's always about building for the future, no matter how murky that gets considering the uncertainty of their coaching situation.

"Just to end the season off on a good note and bring momentum into the offseason and into next year," Fields said of his goal. "I think we have a lot of young guys playing right now, so it's a good opportunity for them to be on the field and see what it feels like to play.

"Hopefully we just keep building up the younger guys, getting them more confident with playing and stuff like that."

Thomas Graham Jr. typified this concept last week when he came off the practice squad to help shut down Justin Jefferson and the Vikings passing game, holding them to 61 net passing yards.

"Like I said with Thomas’ last game, it was his first opportunity, so hopefully some other guys get some opportunities to go out there and show what they can do," Fields said.

Rookie tackles Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom figure to play more, although the Bears haven't said yet whether Borom or Germain Ifedi will start at right tackle. 

Most other young players have had some sort of role already, but another one who first appeared last week was wide receiver Dazz Newsome. One of the top punt returners in the nation for North Carolina, Newsome could get a chance to do this against the Seahawks because of Jakeem Grant's concussion, according to coach Matt Nagy.

There is also team building going on even if the future nature of the team will be drastically altered under a new regime. One aspect is Fields and Darnell Mooney continuing to build their passing connection.

"It's really neat to see," Nagy said. "They're both wired the same way. Every day after practice, those two guys, literally every day, they talk about and they rep out different reps, different routes. Some are full speed. Some are just discussing how they're going to do this or that.

"I think it’s a special connection. It's a connection that those two guys, being as young as they are, it's going to be hard to stop down the road. It's pretty neat to see two young guys like that who believe in each other." ​

Free Agents Showcase Talent

From the young to the old, the defense is likely to get a total remake after this year because there are so many 30-somethings.

Akiem Hicks will be 33 during the 2022 season and has no contract for next year. Safety Tashaun Gipson is also out of contract. Starting defensive end Bilal Nichols is younger but also a free agent. Whether the Bears pursue Nichols or Gipson depends on who comes in at coach and/or general manager.

As for Hicks, he seems to have determined the Bears do not want him back.

"I don't know what's going on," Hicks said. "I don't know what's going to happen I just know that I've got games to play and if i do end up leaving I'll miss it here. I truly loved my time."

Hicks has been in Chicago since 2016 and established himself as one of the top all-around interior defensive linemen in the league in 2018.

Since then, he's been hit with several injuries and apparently hasn't been offered what he wants to stay.

"So sad, so sad, because I'd do anything for them, but that's the way it goes," Hicks said.

Hicks isn't quite sure how Bears fans will remember him, but he's chosen to honor them. Instead of a sack dance Monday after he got Kirk Cousins twice, he was pointing back up at the fans.

"I was pointing to the people that cheer for me you know the people that love me the people that love how I play the game you know i was pointing to them let them know I appreciate them for my time," Hicks said. "You know, they're always yelling my name I wanna show love back."

Pride

Earlier this month Hicks said he has no plans to retire, so he'll likely wind up with another team. As such, Hicks can still prove to other teams he has plenty left in the tank, but it goes beyond this with pride on the line.

"It is competition, you know?" he said. "It's like what we're striving for, modern-day gladiators, we're looking for that feeling, you know, of battle. You know, it doesn't always come out in your favor. I don't win every rep you know?

"So I think that for a football player you have to understand that you're not going to win every game but you can be happy with how you perform. You can be happy with how your team sticks together. You can be happy with situations going awry in the middle of the season and guys have guys rallying back—you know that's an inspiring moment to watch a football team." 

That's something the full team has had plenty of opportunity to pursue over the course of the last three years, even if they couldn't finish it in the playoffs like they did last year in a similar situation.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven