Most experts expected Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields to be the first player at his position traded this offseason.
Chicago clinched the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (via the Jacksonville Jaguars) late in the season. It has since been linked to Caleb Williams out of USC.
Nothing we’ve seen during the pre-draft process has changed the fact that general manager Ryan Poles and Co. are looking to trade Fields. Heck, a recent report from ESPN’s Field Yates notes that the Bears have “no inclination” to keep the former first-round pick from Ohio State.
Despite this, Fields remains on the Bears’ roster as other equal or lesser quarterbacks have found themselves traded through the first few days of free agency.
- Desmond Ridder was dealt from the Atlanta Falcons to the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday for wide receiver Rondale Moore. There goes one option as it relates to Fields being a potential backup for a team with a questionable QB1.
- Later on Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks acquired Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders for a swap of draft picks. Howell will now compete with Geno Smith for the Seahawks’ starting job.
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Justin Fields trade market is just not there
We crossed the Cardinals and Seahawks off as options above.
Other potential suitors have also gone in other directions. Linked heavily to Fields on the trade market earlier this offseason, the Atlanta Falcons signed Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins to massive contract. The Pittsburgh Steelers were also linked to Fields before signing Russell Wilson.
Other teams that were potentially in the market for Fields as QB1 competition or to be a backup have also gone in other directions.
- New England Patriots: Jacoby Brissett
- New York Jets: Tyrod Taylor
- Cleveland Browns: Jameis Winston
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Mac Jones
- Indianapolis Colts: Joe Flacco
- Tennessee Titans: Mason Rudolph
- Las Vegas Raiders: Gardner Minshew
- New York Giants: Drew Lock
- Washington Commanders: Marcus Mariota
The list goes on and on. That’s at least 10 teams that could have been viable suitors for Fields who are no longer in on his services.
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What are Justin Fields’ options now?
The Raiders still remain very much a possibility. That’s primarily due to Fields’ relationship with new Vegas offensive coordinator Luke Getsy who served in the same role in Chicago over the past two seasons. The idea would be for the Raiders to pass up on a quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft while holding a competition between Fields and the aforementioned Minshew.
Having lost Mariota in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles have been linked to Fields as Jalen Hurts‘ backup. That could be an ideal landing spot for the still-young 25-year-old quarterback.
As for potential starting options, the market is extremely limited. Right now, we’re looking at the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings. Denver released the aforementioned Wilson earlier this offseason. Minnesota lost Cousins to the Falcons in free agency. Both took on large dead cap hits with those moves and need cost-effective options. Fields provides that. He’s set to count a mere $1.62 million against the cap for an acquiring team.
- Justin Fields career stats: 60.3% completion, 6,674 passing yards, 2,220 rushing yards, 54 TD, 30 INT
Fields has not been great by any stretch of the imagination. But he has a ton of untapped potential. The lack of interest is extremely surprising.
This leads us to believe that Chicago will have to trade him for pennies on the dollar after the original going rate was said to be a second-round pick.
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It also leads to a couple other potential contenders. Pure conjecture here. But the San Francisco 49ers make sense. They passed on Fields for Trey Lance at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft. They also lost Darnold to the aforementioned Vikings. San Francisco is in need of backup and insurance for Brock Purdy.
Another option could be the Los Angeles Rams. They need to find a legitimate QB2 behind Matthew Stafford. Why not bring in Fields and have him learn behind a veteran? It would be a low-cost, high-reward move for general manager Les Snead and Co.