Bears’ Potential Trade Partner for Justin Fields Bows Out of Race

Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

The Chicago Bears could draw interest from a few quarterback-needy teams if they decide to put Justin Fields on the trading block this offseason, but the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to have other plans for their quarterback room.

The Steelers are not “actively” working to trade for Fields, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, even though Pittsburgh has the second best betting odds of acquiring him. Instead, they will look to continue building around 2021 first-rounder Kenny Pickett.

“Additionally, Pittsburgh is not among the teams actively working to trade for Fields, league sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo wrote about his colleague on March 4. “Pittsburgh is also not pursuing Kirk Cousins or Baker Mayfield in free agency, according to league sources.”

The Steelers had emerged as one of the projected favorites to trade for Fields over the past month. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in early February that head coach Mike Tomlin is a “big fan” of the Bears quarterback and added in early March that the team is believed to be “in the conversation” to acquire him in 2024.

The Steelers had the potential to be an intriguing trade partner for the Bears and Fields. Pickett did not provide reliable quarterback play for them during his second season in 2023, and Fields would have given them a different type of playmaker under center, one who is more dynamic in terms of keeping plays alive and making moves with his legs.

Pittsburgh also could have made a compelling offer with the No. 52 overall pick, in the second round, given that Chicago traded its second-rounder for Montez Sweat on October 31.

If the Steelers are truly out on Fields, though, the Bears’ options are getting slimmer.

Falcons Expected to Prioritize Kirk Cousins in Free Agency

The Steelers are not the only potential suitors for Fields looking in other directions for a solution at quarterback. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Atlanta Falcons — the most heavily discussed trade destination for Fields — are planning to make Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins their top priority when free agency begins next week.

“I have been told by multiple sources this week that signing Cousins — not trading for Justin Fields — is the Falcons’ top QB solution, assuming Cousins makes it to free agency,” Graziano wrote on March 3 coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Falcons might not get their wish with Cousins, but it is worth noting that PFT’s Mike Florio reported on March 4 that there are “very clear indications” that Cousins is looking into moving his family to the Atlanta area. Even still, the Vikings could work to keep Cousins on their roster in 2024 and put the Falcons in a tough spot where they might want to circle back to their other options — which might include Fields.

Bears ‘Open to Waiting a Bit’ on Trading Justin Fields

Either way, the Bears are not in a rush to trade Fields before the start of free agency. According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Bears general manager Ryan Poles has “positioned” the team to trade Fields in the coming days if the timing makes sense, but he is also “open to waiting a bit” to see how the other quarterback chips fall.

“The key is the team has flexibility,” Breer wrote. “Chicago will be realistic in finding the right return for the 11th pick in the 2021 draft. It’s probably not getting a first-rounder, and it hasn’t been working off any assumption that it will be. Instead, they Bears have looked at historical data points as models.”

The Bears could be playing a dangerous game of chicken with the quarterback market, especially if the Steelers and Falcons are already bowing out of trade contention. Then again, not everyone is going to find a quarterback in free agency and Graziano wrote that Las Vegas and Minnesota will also be “on Fields’ radar” in the coming weeks.

All it takes is two to tango.