AFC Coach Is in Love With Bears QB Justin Fields, Who Seems to Be the Trade Favorite: Report
The Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is attracting a growing number of suitors, and an AFC North team is now one of the front-runners to acquire him.
On Monday, February 12, Adam Schefter of ESPN performed a hit on “The Pat McAfee Show.” The NFL insider revealed during that interview that Fields is the object of Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Just hours before Pro Football Talk revealed that the Steelers had chosen to cut ties with former Bears signal-caller and backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, Schefter’s report was released.
With Trubisky gone, Kenny Pickett is the only quarterback on the team with a contract that extends past March 13, which is the official start of free agency. Mason Rudolph, who took over for Trubisky after Pickett was hurt the previous season, will likely make an attempt to sign as a free agent this spring.
The Steelers will almost definitely add a quarterback this offseason, if not more, given Pittsburgh’s current situation. The inquiry pertains to whether the team is seeking a replacement for Pickett as a starter, a player to rival him, or a backup.
In the middle of the 2023 season, the Steelers fired Matt Canada, their previous offensive coordinator, and appointed Arthur Smith in his place. For the previous three seasons, Smith led the Atlanta Falcons as head coach.
Given Smith and Schefter’s shared Tennessee history, Schefter admitted to McAfee on Monday that Pittsburgh likes Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. In March, Tannehill, 35, will be able to sign free agents without restrictions.
But Schefter also mentioned Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson as a potential suitor and mentioned that the Steelers could make a trade for Fields.
The Steelers’ willingness to pay Fields’ asking price and the Bears’ acceptance of that price may determine whether or not to pursue Fields in a trade.
Fields has second-round trade value, and any deal involving him is probably going to revolve around a pick in 2024, according to the most recent rumors circulating in the NFL. But Fields has incredible arm and leg strength and is a legitimate starting quarterback in the league.
At the young age of 25, he will play in the upcoming season, his fourth in the league, and still have two years to control costs thanks to a fifth-year team option in his contract that Chicago can exercise this offseason. In the event of a trade, Pittsburgh would keep the
The Steelers may believe that their first-round selection, No. 20 overall, is a little too high for Fields. They don’t select until No. 51 in the second round, though, which is obviously too low for the asset to be worth its weight alone.
Chicago will likely attempt to work out a plan to acquire Pittsburgh’s 20th pick, which may require the Bears to trade Fields for another late-round draft pick.
Nevertheless, Fields has outperformed all other Pittsburgh quarterbacks in terms of accomplishments and ceiling, and the Steelers aren’t in a position to select a top prospect to lead their offense. Because of all of that, Fields makes sense as a trade target, and Tomlin’s affection for the quarterback also helps.
For Heavy.com, Max Dible covers the Golden State Warriors, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns. Before joining Heavy, he worked as the news director for Pacific Media Group’s chain of Big Island radio stations as well as a reporter for West Hawaii Today, covering both local and state news. He also worked as the news director for BigIslandNow.com. Additional information about Max Dible
