The 2021 NFL Regular Season scheduled will be officially released on Wednesday night but leaks have already appeared and the latest has the Chicago Bears facing Seattle Seahawks on December 26.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune broke the news on Wednesday morning that the Bears will be traveling to the face the Seattle Seahawks the day after Christmas. Christmas falls on a Saturday this year and the NFL has been rumored to feature a doubleheader for the holiday. Fans will be enjoying holiday leftovers on Sunday as the Bears face the Seahawks.
The Bears facing the Seahawks this season will be a very compelling matchup this season. Compelling in the sense of the trade rumors that were heard across the NFL landscape this off-season.
Prior to the Bears’ signing of veteran Andy Dalton and drafting of rookie quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson was the primary quarterback target for the Bears this off-season.
Rumors of Wilson wanting a trade from the Seattle Seahawks surfaced in February when Wilson openly criticized his role in the Seahawks’ offense. Shortly after Willson’s public comments, his agent leaked that the veteran quarterback would accept a trade to one of four teams and the Bears were among those listed.
While the Bears certainly did engage the Seahawks in trade discussions regarding Wilson, it is unclear if an offer was ever made. Dan Patrick reported in March that the Bears did make an offer for Wilson and the offer included three first round draft picks, two second round draft picks and two defensive starters. The Seahawks ultimately decided against the idea of trading Wilson and the Bears were forced to move on to their next quarterback targets.
By the time that Bears play the Seahawks on December 26, there is a strong chance that Fields will have replaced Dalton as the team’s starting quarterback. Meaning the matchup between the Bears and Seahawks could be a matchup of what is versus what could have been for the Bears.
For Fields, it would be an opportunity to go head to head against a quarterback he mirrored his game after.
While speaking with reporters during his Bears’ introductory press conference, Fields spoke about the comparisons of his game to Wilson:
“I’ve watched a lot of film on him,” Fields said of Wilson. I’ve watched a lot of highlights on him, so I think the things that we can do on the field with both of those quarterbacks, I think we have a lot of similarities between extending plays with our legs and also having the arm talent.
“I think those are a couple of guys that I kind of emulate my game after.”
In hindsight, it is a fascinating question to ask: Would the Chicago Bears rather have Wilson or Justin Fields as their starting quarterback heading into the 2021 NFL Regular Season? The answer to that question could very well be Fields considering he is only at the beginning of what could be a career as the franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
