'Justin is going to have a great career, but right now it’s my time': Dalton vs Fields QB battle just got interesting

Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton strongly believes he will be the team's leader this season.

The veteran NFL QB is excited about rookie Justin Fields' future in the NFL but told reporters this week he firmly believes this is his year.

“Justin’s gonna have his time, and Justin’s gonna have a great career, but right now, it’s my time and so my focus is on being the best player I can be for this team and to do everything I can to help this team win,” he said.

“I know who I am. I know who I was created to be. Do I want the fans behind me and this team and all that kind of stuff? Yes. Do I want them behind Justin? Absolutely I do.”

#Bears Andy Dalton on the excitement around rookie Justin Fields: "Justin Fields is going to have a great career but right now it's my time."pic.twitter.com/WnGrbdcMKC

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 18, 2021

All the hype this NFL preseason has been around the Bears' first-year QB Justin Fields. The 11th pick in this year’s NFL draft, he showed in his debut against the Miami Dolphins that he has the potential to be a superstar in the league.

Dalton, who only played one series in the 20-13 win over the Dolphins, has already been named the Week 1 starter by Bears head coach Matt Nagy. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback signed a one-year $10 million deal with the Chicago Bears this offseason before the team drafted Justin Fields.

Bears fans see a future NFL superstar in 22-year-old Justin Fields and are already clamoring for him to start Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Justin Fields! pic.twitter.com/9VzQ3Zjvo7

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 14, 2021

At 33, you can understand why Andy Dalton believes the Bears are his team in 2021. This is probably his last opportunity to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Andy Dalton's NFL career

After a solid college career at TCU, Andy Dalton was drafted 35th overall in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Dalton went on to become the starting QB in Cincinnati for nine seasons, leading them to the NFL playoffs for four straight years. Unfortunately, Dalton couldn’t win any of the four Wild Card playoff games the Bengals played in.

The veteran play-caller then signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 to back up Dak Prescott. He ended up starting nine games after Prescott suffered a serious leg injury against the New York Giants.

Dalton struggled with the Cowboys, going 4-5 before signing with the Chicago Bears in March this year. The ten-season NFL veteran has a tough challenge ahead of him this preseason and beyond to hold off the juggernaut that is Justin Fields.