Rumors: QB Justin Fields Considered Trades with Raiders, Steelers, Vikings, Falcons.
Before the Chicago Bears sold quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers this summer, the Steelers were among the top contenders for Fields.
The Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons were among the teams that Fields had his eye on when it became apparent that the Bears were trying to sell him, according to reports from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. This action was taken while the Bears were preparing to select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft—likely Caleb Williams of
USC—with the first overall choice.
In a deal that was finalized on March 16, the Bears sent Fields to the Steelers in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025. This selection may move up to the fourth round in 2024 if Fields plays 51 percent or more of the offensive snaps for the Steelers.
The Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in the hopes that he would develop into the franchise quarterback that the team had long desired, similar to 1940s Hall of Famer Sid Luckman.
Fields showed flashes of greatness while serving as the starter, most notably in 2022 when he ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. He had his finest passing season in 2023, finishing 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, despite missing four games due to injury.
With Fields in charge, the Bears were unable to win games; in 38 starts, they managed just a 10-28 record, which included a 5-8 record the previous season. The Bears have changed their strategy as evidenced by their trade of Fields and their choice of Williams to start at quarterback for the team.
The fact that most clubs had already taken care of their quarterback situations when the trade happened was partly to blame for the Bears’ perceived unusually low return for Fields.
Fields reportedly expressed interest in the following teams: the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew to compete with Aidan O’Connell; the Vikings signed Sam Darnold; the Steelers signed veteran Russell Wilson; and the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins.
