The Chicago Bears finally made a decision at quarterback, trading Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick (that turns into a fourth rounder depending on playing time).
While Fields’ trade market never really developed like many, including general manager Ryan Poles, expected, the Bears did gauge some interest for Fields.
According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, the Steelers were one of six teams that reached out to Chicago about Fields — but it sounds like they believed him to be a backup.
In addition to Pittsburgh, there were 5 teams that reached out to the Bears to gauge their interest on a Fields trade, but the majority of those teams envisioned Fields as a backup. Chicago wanted to use the parameters of the Sam Darnold trade (2021 6th, 2022 2nd and 4th) for compensation but had to shift towards a different return after that didn’t get yield a deal from inquiring teams.
On the surface, a conditional sixth-round pick for Fields, when some believed he could garner a second rounder, seems like Poles got fleeced. But the Bears could’ve dragged this out to the NFL draft, where he could’ve taken advantage of a desperate team that misses out on a rookie quarterback. Instead, Poles made good on his promise to do right by Fields and find him a new home as soon as possible.
Now, Fields gets a fresh start in Pittsburgh where he’ll serve as the presumptive backup to Russell Wilson. But there should be an opportunity for Fields to step in should Wilson struggle.
