Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus watches quarterback Justin Fields (1) warm up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Eberflus admits Justin Fields was why he took Bears coaching job

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/15/22

Before being named the new head coach of the Chicago Bears in January, Matt Eberflus was also a finalist for the same job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Faced with the arduous task of rebuilding with a franchise quarterback in both spots, Eberflus admitted to reporters on Monday that quarterback Justin Fields played a key role in the 52-year-old’s decision to land in Chicago.

“I think it’s appealing when you’re looking at different types of places to go, you take spots for that reason,” Eberflus said. “The No. 1 spot you look at is quarterback. You study and look at that and I loved what I saw. I’m loving what I’m seeing even more since I’ve been here for this amount of time. …just the athleticism, the toughness, the grit, the ability to make special plays.”

Justin Fields last 6 games:

15 total TD. 10 passing. 5 rushing. 3 INT.

1,620 total yards. 1,018 passing. 602 rushing.

100.2 rating.
— dave (@runbackdave) November 13, 2022

Though Fields had a rough first four games, passing for just 471 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, the 23-year-old has seemingly turned the corner in his development over his last six games, passing for 1,018 yards, 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

He’s also had a passer rating of 99 or better in four of those six games with four multi-touchdown games after recording just one in his first four outings.

Over his last five games, Fields has rushed for 555 yards — an NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback over a five-game span. His 325 yards rushing over the last two games are also an NFL record for QBs in consecutive games.

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