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Mark Potash

Chicago Bears reporter

Mark Potash covers the Chicago Bears for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Fields fit the profile of a young quarterback with massive potential that a desperate team mired in the muck of NFL mediocrity could fall in love with. But in a bit of a surprising rebuke, there was little interest, as he only netted a conditional sixth-round draft pick.
The Bears’ new safety is married to the four-time Olympic gold medal gymnast and is happy for all the attention she gets. “I love it,” he said. “You always want your wife on this pedestal. I love here. I support here. It’s no jealousy. We both support each other to the fullest.”
“He’s a laid-back guy, but when the lights come on, he produces,” said Gerald Everett, the Bears’ newly signed tight end who played the last two seasons with Allen with the Chargers. “People feed off that. We fed off that.”
“The dude’s still got it,” said linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, a former Chargers teammate of Allen’s who signed with the Bears in free agency. “He’s got the juice. He’s going to bring some special moments to the city of Chicago. They are going to love him.”
The new Bears running back and in-limbo quarterback were teammates at Georgia in 2018. “Justin’s my guy,” Swift said. “I’ve always been a Justin Fields fan.” But Swift knows their reunion with the Bears could be short-lived.
Whether Caleb Williams or Justin Fields starts at quarterback, a defense that was fifth in the NFL in offensive points allowed in the final 13 games of last season will give him the wind at his back. But a pass rusher to complement Montez Sweat should be a high priority.
Expectations are high with nine starters back from a defense that was sixth in the NFL in scoring defense over the last 13 games in 2023. “We want to be the best defense in the NFL or one of the best defenses in the NFL,” the third-year linebacker said.
Johnson agreed to a four-year, $76 million contract extension Thursday, two days after the Bears gave him the franchise tag. On Monday, he explained the road that got him there, revealing for the first time that he sought help from a therapist for sex addiction last year.
The new defensive coordinator is confident he can make a difference even though Matt Eberflus will be calling plays. “I will do everything that a coordinator is doing without actually calling the defense,” Washington said.