The stakes for quarterback Justin Fields’ third season couldn’t be clearer, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The Bears must decide whether he’s their quarterback of the future — and whether they should pay him as such as soon as eight months from now. If he’s not, the Bears have the resources to draft Fields’ replacement, a perk of — if not the motivation behind — them having sent the No. 1 overall pick this year to the Panthers for, among other things, their future first-rounder.

So when Fields walked onto the turf at Halas Hall for the start of organized team activities Monday, it marked the first step in the most important season of his professional life.

‘‘I’m not worried about contracts,’’ he said Tuesday. ‘‘I’m worried about wins.’’

Wins would lead to that contract, particularly in the wake of the Bears posting the worst record in the NFL last season. Paying a quarterback never has been such a high-stakes, franchise-altering game, though. This offseason alone, the Eagles gave Jalen Hurts a five-year, $255 million extension and the Ravens reupped Lamar Jackson for $260 million over five seasons.

‘‘I just try not to make excuses,’’ Fields said. ‘‘I feel like I said this multiple times last year: No matter what the situation is, I’m going to go out there on the field and play my hardest for my teammates, for my coaches.’’

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/theredzoneorg 
 
Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/Theredzone.org