Okay Bears fans, today I got curious about something we probably all wonder: just how much dough Justin Fields pulls in every single week. You know, that paycheck hitting his bank account while he’s leading our offense? I decided to dig into it and write it down.
Starting The Dig
First thing, I fired up my laptop and typed “justin fields contract details” into Google. Tons of headlines popped up about his rookie deal, but I needed the nitty-gritty – actual numbers per game check. Sports news sites only showed yearly salaries or signing bonuses. Useless.
The Salary Cap Hunt
Next stop was NFL salary cap websites. These nerdy sites usually break down contracts like cray. Scrolled through pages until I found Justin’s entry. There it was: his base salary for 2023. Did quick math – take that yearly base, divide by 18 weeks (yeah, bye week counts!). But wait… taxes. Gotta account for Uncle Sam grabbing like 40% right off the top.
- Pulled up a paycheck calculator online
- Plugged in that weekly pre-tax number
- Set Illinois tax rates on max cause hey, Chicago
- Added federal tax brackets for high earners
Calculator spat out this depressing post-tax figure. Felt kinda bad for the guy honestly – getting taxed like crazy on paper.
Secret Sauce: The Perks
Then remembered these dudes get paid outside salary too. Checked contract bonuses again – found his signing bonus was split evenly over 4 years. Divided that chunk by 365 days because bonus hits daily apparently? Wild. Added daily bonus cash to the weekly paycheck. Also threw in practice squad pay – league minimum for those weeks but still, extra bread.
Reality Check
Final number looked insane until I compared it to veteran QBs. Fields makes decent rookie money but Mahomes? That dude clears Justin’s MONTHLY take in like two days. Put things in perspective. Also realized injury clauses matter – if Fields gets benched or hurt, that paycheck shrinks FAST.
Bottom line? Our QB takes home more weekly than I’ll make this decade, but after taxes, agents, and league fines? Way less than headline numbers scream. Still wouldn’t say no to one of those checks though.