Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields revealed on Wednesday the nature of the shoulder injury he's currently dealing with, which has been a matter of some conjecture with his immediate availability up in the air.
Fields told reporters he has "a separated shoulder with a partially torn ligament, basically an AC joint," via The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.
The Bears cleared Fields to return to practice on Wednesday. He is considered "day to day" with a left shoulder injury, head coach Matt Eberflus announced earlier Wednesday, although Fields later said the decision to play Sunday against the New York Jets will be his.
"Coach (Eberflus) said it was up to me," he said. "They want the best for me."
Fields threw on Wednesday and admitted that it -- and even handing the ball off -- was uncomfortable. He added, via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns: "The pain is pretty high today."
Asked if he could play if the game was Wednesday, Fields said no but noted: "But the game's not today."
Fields suffered the separation to his left (non-throwing) shoulder late in the Bears' Week 11 loss to the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday.
Eberflus previously did not rule out the possibility of Fields landing on injured reserve or that the injury could be season-ending, but those outcomes feel less likely with this development.
Chicago heads on the road in Week 12 to face the New York Jets, who just announced that they've benched Zach Wilson in favor of Mike White against the Bears. The Jets drafted Wilson No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, with the Bears selecting Fields with the No. 11 pick.
Fields also dealt with a hamstring injury last week against the Falcons, at one point being carted off the field for examination.
The 3-8 Bears have lost seven out of their past eight games, but Fields has been one of the team's bright spots. He's thrown for 13 TDs and run for seven more scores in 11 starts this season after throwing for seven TDs and rushing for two more scores in 12 games (10 starts) as a rookie last year.
Bears backup Trevor Siemian, who spent the 2019 season with the Jets, has seen action in one game this season and completed his only pass attempt, for 5 yards. Siemian had an 11-3 TD-INT ratio a year ago for the Saints, but New Orleans lost all four of the games he started.
