Michael Schofield grew up in the southwest suburb of Orland Park. He went to Carl Sandburg High School, dreaming of playing for this hometown team, the Chicago Bears.
His first jersey as a child was Marty Booker's because he wanted to be a wide receiver. But, he also had former Bears' quarterback Kyle Orton's jersey.
“I mean, I always wanted to land here,” Schofield said. “Definitely growing up, obviously I was a pretty big Bear fan. It's a dream come true for sure to be able to play here.”
Orton played for the Bears in 2005 and 2007. In '05, Orton ironically threw for nearly the exact same stats as Justin Fields did in his rookie year. He threw for exactly one yard less than Fields did in his first season (1,869) and ended with the exact amount of touchdowns Fields had (nine). (Fields had seven passing and two rushing while Orton had nine passing.)
Schofield was signed to a veteran minimum deal with a base salary of $1.2 million. It's assumed he will join Lucas Patrick and Cody Whitehair on the interior line and a guard spot.
There's nothing like making it to the NFL. But, there's something different about playing for your hometown team.
