Getty Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears are waiting out the trade market on QB Justin Fields, and their patience appears already to have paid off.
The BetOnline Sportsbook dubbed Fields the favorite to start Week 1 for the Minnesota Vikings, listing his odds at 3-to-1 on Thursday, March 8, per Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports Chicago. The development comes as Minnesota continues to find itself at an impasse with soon-to-be free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins over the issue of fully-guaranteed money on a new deal.
“The sportsbook also notes that ‘that the majority of Vikings QB bets’ have been on Fields, so that might be part of the reason the odds for Fields to take over in Minnesota have shortened,” Shapiro wrote. “It’s also worth noting that Fields is a popular pick to take over for many other teams. He’s listed at 4/1 odds to start for both the [Pittsburgh] Steelers and [Las Vegas] Raiders in Week 1. The oddsmakers have him at 5/1 to start for the [Atlanta] Falcons.”
Vikings Have Been Possible Trade Destination for Justin Fields Since NFL Combine
GettyQuarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears could be on his way to join the Minnesota Vikings.
The notion of Fields to Minnesota isn’t entirely new. In fact, it was first noted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on March 3.
“Chicago will need multiple teams in the fray to drive a market, and after asking around, I expect Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Minnesota to be on Fields’ radar,” Fowler reported.
Not long after, however, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Fields’ market had cooled significant during, and immediately after, the combine.
“I don’t think the market for Justin Fields is as robust as the Bears and he had thought,” Schefter told the Pat McAfee Show on March 4.
Steelers Not ‘Actively’ Working on Trade for Justin Fields
GettyPittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin
One example of Schefter’s report is the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a step back in their potential pursuit of Fields after weeks of widespread speculation that the team was among the prime suitors for the quarterback.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on March 4 that the Steelers are not “actively” pursuing a trade for Fields.
That development shrinks the pool of potential trade partners for Chicago by up to 25%, depending on whether the Cleveland Browns are legitimately interested in entering the conversation for Fields as a backup/alternative option behind Deshaun Watson.
Legitimate sources, such as ESPN’s Seth Walder, have floated the possibility of the Browns making a move for Fields. However, the chances of that materializing remain slim considering the $230 million fully-guaranteed investment Cleveland has made in its starting quarterback.
Assuming the Browns and the Steelers are out on Fields, that leaves the Vikings along with the Falcons and Raiders as the top potential destinations for the Bears QB.
The Falcons, however, may get in the game for Cousins and prefer him as a solution to trading for Fields, according to ESPN’s Fowler and Dan Graziano, who reported the news from the NFL Combine late last week.