Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears are receiving renewed interest in quarterback Justin Fields from a potential trade partner after another deal went down on March 15.
According to Nick Farabaugh of SteelersNow.com, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a “legitimate interest” in trading to acquire Fields from the Bears after they dealt former starter Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles for a swap of picks on Friday. His sources stressed, however, that a potential deal between the two is “not imminent.”
Farabaugh also confirmed the reason why the Bears have not yet found a trade partner for Fields is “the price that Chicago believes is fair for” their starting quarterback. It is unclear exactly what that price is, but league executives told ESPN’s Courtney Cronin in February they believed Fields would return a second- or third-round pick. If the Bears agree with their assessment, it could explain why they have not found a partner yet.
Previous reports had linked the Steelers to Fields before they signed Russell Wilson to a one-year, league-minimum contract for the 2024 season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also noted that head coach Mike Tomlin holds Fields in high regard and is a “big fan” of his.
With no long-term commitment to Wilson and Pickett out of the picture, perhaps the Steelers believe that Fields is a worthy backup/succession plan for them at the position.
Eagles Had Interest in Justin Fields Before Pickett Trade
The Eagles have now secured a backup plan behind Jalen Hurts for the 2024 season with their trade for Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick. Before they settled on a deal for him, though, the Eagles evidently talked to the Bears about a potential Fields trade.
Farabaugh mentioned the Eagles’ interest in Fields in his piece about the Steelers, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano provided more context. Here is what the NFL insider said about the Eagles and Fields during an appearance on SportsCenter after the Pickett trade:
I think what happens is it takes away one possible destination and adds another. The Eagles, from what I understand talking to sources around the league, were one of the teams that talked to the Bears about Justin Fields, but obviously could not get to the point where they agreed on a price, so they traded for Pickett. But now, there’s an opening in Pittsburgh. And they just signed Russell Wilson, but that’s a one-year minimum salary deal. They’re not committed to him in any significant way.
We’ve been told several times throughout this process that Mike Tomlin was a fan of Justin Fields. So I think if you’re Ryan Poles, the Bears’ GM, you have to at least make that phone call and find out if the Steelers are joining what’s so far been an extremely lukewarm — that’s putting it nicely — market for Justin Fields.
Trade Market Could Make Bears Settle With Justin Fields
Several quarterback trades have taken place over the past week, but none have involved a second-rounder. New England got a sixth-rounder from Jacksonville for Mac Jones. The Steelers received a 2024 third-rounder (No. 98) and two 2025 seventh-rounders for Pickett, but only after they included a 2024 fourth-rounder (No. 120) in the deal.
The Washington Commanders also made a similar move with Sam Howell, trading him along with 2024 fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for 2024 third- and fifth-round picks. The Atlanta Falcons didn’t even get a pick for Desmond Ridder, trading him to Arizona for wide receiver Rondale Moore.
Could the other examples force Bears general manager Ryan Poles to budge on Fields’ value in a trade? Perhaps, but he has drawn hard negotiating lines in the sand before.