Which Bears QB Will Start Week 1? Odds For Andy Dalton vs. Justin Fields

Bears Week 1 Starting QB Odds

Bears fans everywhere can heave a sigh of relief now that the Mitch Trubisky era is in the rearview mirror, but Chicago may be headed toward yet another preseason quarterback competition.

The Bears’ quarterback room has been underwhelming for well over a decade. In 2020, they dealt a compensatory fourth-round pick to the Eagles for Nick Foles, who was ultimately bested by Trubisky in the team’s preseason duel. Trubisky, 26, appeared in 10 games and completed 67.0% of his passes for 2,055 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Then the former No. 2 overall pick signed a one-year deal with the Bills to back up Josh Allen in March.

To Chicago’s credit, the team’s front office has made aggressive moves this offseason to rectify its QB situation, starting with signing veteran Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million contract ahead of free agency. The 33-year-old is the favorite to be Chicago’s starter in Week 1 at -250 odds (a 71.43% implied probability).

Dalton spent nine seasons as the Bengals’ starter before signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys. He appeared in 11 games in 2020 stepping in for an injured Dak Prescott and completed 64.9% of his passes for 2,169 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Bears then swapped picks with the Giants to select Ohio State’s Justin Fields at No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Fields, 22, had been in contention to be the 49ers’ pick at No. 3 overall and shockingly slid to 11 as the fourth quarterback off the board. He has the second-shortest odds to be Chicago’s starter in Week 1 at +200 (33.33%) and has better odds than Mac Jones or Trey Lance to be his team’s Week 1 starter. 

Last on the list is Foles at +1600 odds (5.88%). The 32-year-old former Super Bowl MVP finished the season appearing in nine games and completing 64.7% of his passes for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Foles is in Year 2 of a three-year, $24 million deal that carries a $6.67 million cap hit ($14.33 million dead cap) in 2021.

While the Bears hope Fields can blossom into their franchise quarterback, head coach Matt Nagy insists that Dalton is the starter heading into offseason practices and will be the one to get first-team reps.

“Andy is the starter,” Nagy said on the heels of Fields’ strong minicamp performance in mid-May via Bears Wire. “Andy’s going to get the one reps.

“I know that time is the biggest question right now for Justin and I completely understand that, because there is an excitement, there is that want for all of us to see what Justin can do. … We got to make sure as we go through this thing that we also do what’s best for the Bears and for Justin.”