The similarities between Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts are tantalizing. So are the key differences

With Super Bowl LVII set to kick off Sunday, many Bears fans are looking at Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and projecting what could be with Bears QB Justin Fields.

The two players are both tall, physical, athletic quarterbacks who are dangerous both with their arms and their legs. But the comparisons don’t stop there. In many ways, Fields’ journey and Hurts’ journey have been quite similar.

Here’s several ways their careers have been similar, and several ways they are different.

Elite high school prospects

Both Fields and Hurts were top quarterback prospects, although Fields was considered a better high school prospect. Hurts, a Texas native, was the 192nd-ranked player overall in the class of 2016, according to the 247Sports composite ranking (which uses an algorithm to aggregate ratings from numerous recruiting sites). Fields, from Georgia, was the No. 2 ranked prospect in 2018, behind only Trevor Lawrence.

Hurts was a finalist for the Elite 11 QB camp, but did not make the final 11 in 2015. Fields, meanwhile, not only made the finals of Elite 11 but also won the MVP award for the showcase, beating out Lawrence.

College transfers

Hurts became Alabama’s starting QB as a true freshman in 2016. He led the Crimson Tide to the national title game, where they lost a heart-breaker against Deshaun Watson and Clemson. A year later, he guided Alabama back to the national championship game, but was benched at halftime in favor of Tua Tagovailoa. With Tagovailoa at QB, Alabama erased a 13-point deficit and won in overtime.

Hurts was then stuck behind Tagovailoa during the 2018 season and elected to transfer to Oklahoma in 2019. In his lone season with the Sooners, he guided them to a Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Fields, meanwhile, was the No. 2 overall recruit in 2018, but found himself on the bench behind Jake Fromm as a true freshman at Georgia. He transferred to Ohio State and was granted a waiver to play immediately. He led the Buckeyes to back-to-back playoff appearances in 2019 and 2020, including a run to the championship game in 2020. Lawrence and Clemson knocked off Ohio State in the 2019 semifinals, only for Fields and the Buckeyes to exact revenge a year later in the 2020 semifinals.

The draft

Both QBs had reasons to feel slighted after the draft. In 2020, Hurts was the fifth QB off the board, taken by the Eagles in the second round (53rd overall). He went behind Joe Burrow (first overall), Tagovailoa (fifth) Justin Herbert (sixth) and Jordan Love (26th). Hurts could become the first among that group to win a Super Bowl. The move was a surprise because the Eagles had signed QB Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension less than a year earlier.

Fields led Ohio State to the national title game, yet still wound up being the fourth QB taken in the 2021 draft. Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance went one, two, three at the top. Fields dropped to 11th, where the Bears traded up to select him. Prior to the draft, there were several questionable critiques featuring the same tired cliches that many Black quarterbacks face about his work ethic and his ability to understand the game.

Rough first seasons, followed by a rebound

Hurts began as the backup behind Wentz, but things got weird in Philly. The Eagles limped along to a 4-11-1 finish in 2020, and they benched Wentz in favor of Hurts for the final four games. Coach Doug Pederson was fired after the season.

In Chicago in 2021, Fields was stuck behind Andy Dalton. Coach Matt Nagy reluctantly moved to Fields, but only after Dalton suffered a knee injury. Fields started 10 games as a rookie, but the Bears struggled. Nagy, like Pederson, was fired after the season.

Hurts had a tremendous turnaround during his second season in 2021. He threw for 3,144 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, leading the Eagles to a postseason appearance. Hurts rushed for 784 yards and 10 touchdowns in 15 starts.

Fields showed similar improvement during his sophomore season in 2022, although the Bears finished an ugly 3-14. Fields threw for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished with 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns rushing, including plenty of magical runs along the way.

Progression as passers

Since Hurts became the starter, the Eagles acquired receiver DeVonta Smith with the 10th overall draft pick in 2021 and traded the 18th overall pick in 2022 to Tennessee for receiver A.J. Brown. Those weapons have reshaped the Eagles’ offense. Hurts threw for 3,701 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. A year ago, he ranked 17th among QBs in passing DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which represents value per play – think of it like football’s version of baseball’s WAR metric. This season, with a more efficient offense, Hurts improved to 10th.

Fields ranked dead last this season in DVOA among 34 NFL QBs with at least 200 passing attempts. There are several reasons why. Through the first month, the Bears passed at historically low levels. His supporting cast was lacking. Plus, Fields found it easier to pick up first downs running rather than throwing.

But that won’t be the long-term game plan. Fields needs to take a major leap in efficiency passing if he wants to be where Hurts is this week – playing in a Super Bowl. In the last 10 years, only two QBs ranked outside the top 15 in passing DVOA in a given year have led their team to a Super Bowl appearance. That was Joe Flacco in 2012 (who ranked 17th) and Peyton Manning in 2015 (ranked 36th). Nick Foles in 2017 did not have enough pass attempts to qualify.

Whether Fields can make that jump is a big question heading into 2023.

A key difference

There’s one big area where these QBs are different: their teams. The Eagles drafted Hurts just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl title. They had been to the playoffs three straight years. They had a solid core already in place and general manager Howie Roseman hit all the right buttons to put the roster back in position to compete for a championship.

The Bears are in no position to make a Super Bowl run during Fields’ third season. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with the roster before that conversation can begin. The good news, though, is that GM Ryan Poles has the proper assets to move in that direction with nine draft picks – including the first overall pick – and a league-leading amount of salary cap space.

The comparison between Hurts and Fields is fun, but the comparison between the organizations is where the similarities end. Hurts has had a lot of help to bring his team to the cusp of a championship. Fields will need a lot of help in 2023.