The Chicago Bears started the offseason leaving the door open to the possibility that they could keep quarterback Justin Fields and trade the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft order. A few months later, it’s abundantly clear that the Bears’ decision had been made and Fields now faces a murky future in 2024.
A majority of NFL teams knew in early February that Chicago would take quarterback Caleb Williams with the top pick. The only question was which of the quarterback-needy teams would acquire Fields, with the expectation of a return of a second-round pick for Chicago.
- Justin Fields stats 2023: 86.3 QB rating, 61.4 percent completion rate, 16-9 TD-INT, 2,562 passing yards, 657 rushing yards, 5.3 yards per carry, 4 rushing touchdowns in 13 games
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The Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers were widely viewed as likely suitors. If Baker Mayfield signed with another team in NFL free agency, some thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be an option.
Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins, Gardner Minshew is taking over in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh added Russel Wilson, Minnesota is taking a chance on Sam Darnold, Mayfield stayed in Tampa Bay and the Patriots reunited with Jacoby Brissett. In just a matter of days, there’s no longer a clear landing spot and certainly no starting opportunity out there for the current Bears’ quarterback. With minimal trade interest around the league, there could now be two surprise teams to keep an eye on.
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- Justin Fields contract: $6.004 million cap hit in 2024, fifth-year option for 2025
NFL insider Benjamin Allbright of KOA Colorado mentioned the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles as two teams who could wind up pursuing Fields as a backup quarterback option. He later noted during a broadcast on Monday that he believes the Colts are the ultimate landing spot.
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In either scenario, Fields wouldn’t have any path to receiving snaps in 2024 outside of a major injury to Jalen Hurts or Anthony Richardson. However, he would have the opportunity to spend a year being coached up by the Eagles’ coaching staff or working one-on-one with Colts’ head coach Shane Steichen.
The offseason has proven to be the worst-case scenario for Fields, as there’s no path to a starting job right now. At this point, being traded is about finding a spot where he can develop and hopefully, that leads to a more lucrative market for him in NFL free agency next year. As for the Bears, the best-case scenario might be similar to the return the New England Patriots received in the Mac Jones trade.
