When Justin Fields failed to impress in what became his final season with the Chicago Bears, people began to speculate what they would want in return for the quarterback’s services. Chicago holds the first overall pick and has been linked to USC’s Caleb Williams for months.
A 2024 second-round, third-round — maybe more? Too steep for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were in the market for a starter after Mitch Trubisky’s release, followed by trading Kenny Pickett.
That quickly changed as QB-needy teams began to acquire their new signal callers and the market for Fields softened. The Bears also steadily lost leverage as they backed themselves into a corner with the idea of drafting Williams.
This is when General Manager Omar Khan made his move. Despite already signing Russell Wilson, Khan saw an opportunity to fleece the Bears again and they took it. The Steelers ended up landing Fields for a sixth-round pick in 2025 that could potentially turn into a fourth if Fields plays more than half the snaps in 2024.
This follows up Khan convincing the Bears to give up a second-round pick for Chase Claypool in November of 2022. The Steelers turned that pick into cornerback Joey Porter Jr. So in essence, the Steelers traded Claypool and a sixth-round pick for Joey Porter Jr. and Justin Fields. Not too shabby.
A 2025 6th round pick that potentially turns into a 4th for Justin Fields? MY GAWD, the Chicago Bears completely mismanaged the Justin Fields trade market this offseason.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 16, 2024