Bears' Justin Fields addresses uncertain future beyond 2023 season

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is trying to avoid off-the-field distractions amid rumors suggesting he's about to play his final five regular-season games atop the club's depth chart. 

"I mean, life isn’t fair," Fields directly said while speaking with reporters on Wednesday, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. "So me personally, I’m just focused on what I can control, and the rest is in God’s hands. Wherever, if I’m here next year, if I’m not, football doesn’t define who I am as a person. My happiness will still be in the same place, will still be in God."

Analysts throughout the NFL community believe Fields will have to make a significant positive leap between this Sunday's home game versus the 9-3 Detroit Lions and the end of Week 18 to prevent the Bears from drafting his replacement next spring. Heading into Thursday night, Chicago held the rights for the first pick in the 2024 draft via the March trade with the Carolina Panthers. 

In a mock draft updated on Wednesday, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports predicted that the Bears would use next year's No. 1 overall pick to select North Carolina Tar Heels star signal-caller Drake Maye. Walter Football is forecasting that Chicago would grab Caleb Williams of the USC Trojans over Maye.

"I’ve had moments in my life to where I’ve wanted things to happen that didn’t go that way and it ended up going another way and it worked out better than I ever could have imagined," Fields added on Wednesday. "That’s really why I just don’t stress about stuff that happens and just controlling what I control and like I said earlier just being the best person I can be and striving to be the best player I can be."

According to ESPN stats, Fields enters Week 14 ranked 23rd out of 29 qualified players with a 45.1 adjusted QBR on the season. The third-year pro with somewhat of a worrisome injury history missed time this fall due to a dislocated right thumb, and he tossed 12 touchdown passes with six interceptions over his first eight games of the campaign. 

As of Thursday afternoon, oddschecker listed the 4-8 Bears as 3.5-point underdogs against the Lions.