Carmen Vitali
NFC North Reporter
The Chicago Bears are in a bit of a pickle.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, general manager Ryan Poles told reporters that if he were to trade quarterback Justin Fields, he would ideally like to do it sooner rather than later. More specifically, he’d want to do it before free agency.
I don’t doubt Poles was being truthful, but the reality is this is still going to be a long process.
The bulk of free agency has come and gone. The biggest domino to fall was quarterback Kirk Cousins, who left Minnesota to the delight of Falcons fans and meme creators everywhere. It was a move many thought would set the wheels in motion for more quarterback movement, and it did.
In a flurry of moves, Pittsburgh now has Russell Wilson (though that came before the Cousins news), Tampa Bay kept Baker Mayfield, Drew Lock is now a New York Giant, Sam Darnold is now a bridge over the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota, Mason Rudolph went to Tennessee, Jacoby Brissett is back in New England and Tyrod Taylor is a New York Jet.
Justin Fields remains in Chicago.
It’s been said across social media that Fields’ market is shrinking. I’m here to tell you there’s no such thing. There never was a market.
Is there still a market for Justin Fields?
Fields is in this middle ground where he isn’t viewed as a plug-and-play starter by the rest of the league but he’s only ever been a starter, save for the first three games of his career. Fields thinks he’s a starter. The Bears want starter compensation. But Fields is also under contract, meaning teams would have to give up assets to get a quarterback they aren’t sold on.
Fields does have his contract working in his favor. Other than the initial capital a team would give up in a trade, he doesn’t require much investment for 2024 given that he’s still on his rookie deal.
And if a deal is done before May, a new team could pick up Fields’ fifth-year option, which is due to be around $25 million in 2025. That’s a good price if Fields is your starter. It’s a really steep one if he’s your backup.
It brings us back to the gray area Fields is in. It adds to why there isn’t a market for him right now. There likely won’t be a market for him until the first night of the draft, when teams that need a quarterback are going to try to get one in this year’s above-average class. Teams that don’t get a quarterback then become suitors for Fields. But we won’t know who those teams are until the draft happens. And April 25 is six weeks away.
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There is also the question of fit. Even if a quarterback-needy team doesn’t end up with their guy after the draft, will they be set up for a guy with Fields’ skillset? It’s a very specific one and one that doesn’t work everywhere. Just ask the Bears.
Fields needs to go somewhere with a multiple run game that he can be an asset in. He needs talent around him, too, so he can push the ball down the field on his first and second reads. Fields also needs a great offensive line that will give him time to do that and block for him and the rest of the backfield in the run game. It’s a feat Chicago wasn’t able to accomplish before the road ran out on Fields’ contract.
Teams in need of a backup may be the more viable options, though the return won’t be as high for a No. 2 option. Benjamin Solak of The Ringer went on Up & Adams and talked about Fields potentially going to the Eagles.
That would make sense given the similar skillset Fields has to Jalen Hurts and the talent Philadelphia has on offense. It’s teams like Philly and maybe even Baltimore that could turn this thing around for Fields. Lamar Jackson usually misses a few games a season due to his physical playing style.
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Fields could also learn from both of those aforementioned quarterbacks, who were able to transition from running quarterbacks into well-rounded ones and see team success in the process. A year under one of those guys and maybe Fields would boomerang back into a starting role come 2025.
Otherwise, we could see this whole situation drag out into training camp, when teams get desperate due to injuries. But that would make for some very awkward moments between Fields and whichever quarterback Chicago takes at No. 1 in the meantime.
The Bears will likely try to avoid that, dealing Fields during the draft if they get a reasonable offer. Even if the compensation falls in Day 3, that would allow them to move on.
Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.
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