Former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler on Justin Fields: 'I hope he's the next big thing'

Justin Fields is the biggest storyline for the Chicago Bears this year — even with a new head coach and general manager in the fold. He already has the support of one former Bears quarterback, too.

Jay Cutler spoke with the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser this week and talked about his expectations for Fields as he enters year two of his NFL career. The former Ohio State star had an up-and-down rookie season under Matt Nagy, throwing for 1,870 yards on 58% passing, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

But now, he has a new head coach and a new play-caller. Even after the rough first year, Cutler said he has high hopes for Fields on the Lakefront.

“If the Bears start winning … I hope they do,” Cutler told Lieser. “And I hope Justin is successful, and I hope he’s the next big thing here and he’s the best quarterback to come out of Chicago Bears history.”

Cutler also knows what it’s like to play in Chicago for multiple offensive coordinators. During his time with the Bears from 2009 to 2016, he played for three different head coaches and six offensive coordinators — and Ron Turner left after his first year with the Bears, just as Bill Lazor left after Fields’ first season. He said it’s not easy, but he has confidence Fields can still find ways to succeed.

“I like him … he’s got all the tools, but it’s the same problem the Bears have had for a long time: They’re turning over coaches and turning over OCs,” Cutler said. “It’s hard for a quarterback. You look across the league, and the guys that are really good at quarterback have the same coaches and same systems each year.

“This is like learning a different language. It’s like if I told you: ‘Hey, you’ve gotta learn Spanish this year, and next year learn Italian and the next year learn Chinese,’ it’s not gonna be easy.”