Getty Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears.
Le’Veon Bell isn’t keen on Justin Fields becoming the next quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With questions looming about what the Chicago Bears will do with Fields this offseason, trade rumors have been running rampant, and the Steelers have been one of many teams discussed as a potential trade partner for Fields.
Former NFL wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson is one of several analysts who thinks Fields could be the answer under center in Pittsburgh.
“In terms of quarterback fixing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin, here’s a guy that they should go get. If the Chicago Bears are stupid enough to get rid of Justin Fields, go get Justin Fields, man,” Johnson said on the January 17 episode of Undisputed.
“Go get Justin Fields. Turn Justin Fields into what you should have gotten out of Kenny Pickett. Send him to Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin and company. Back the truck up and go get that young man and let’s see what Pittsburgh is (next season).”
Bell had a very different and more blunt assessment of the Fields-to-Pittsburgh possibility, however.
Le’Veon Bell Sounds Off on Possibility of Justin Fields in a Steelers Uniform
Bell re-posted a Steelers fan account asking the question: “Should the Steelers trade the 20th overall pick to the Bears for Justin Fields?” His response was beyond telling.
“Hell no, nothin against Justin Fields tho .. he’s just not the answer, TRUST ME,” he wrote on X on January 19.
Bell, who spent eight years in the league (nine, if you count the 2018 season in which he didn’t play due to injury), was a two-time All-Pro (in 2014 and 2017). He rushed for over 1,200 yards in three separate seasons, and last played in 2021.
As Johnson noted, second-year QB Kenny Pickett has not been able to elevate the Steelers’ offense. Thus, Pittsburgh will be looking for a new quarterback and Fields remains a very viable option, regardless of Bell’s opinion.
Bears’ Plans for Justin Fields Will Remain a Mystery Leading Up to 2024 Draft
Until the draft, Caleb Williams and Justin Fields are both simultaneously Bears
Bears general manager Ryan Poles doesn’t want to diminish the leverage he currently holds with the No. 1 pick. His options are well-known: He’ll either select a QB (likely ex-USC quarterback Caleb Williams), or he’ll trade the pick for a haul and roll with Fields. Poles will want to keep his decision under wraps, though.
With myriad teams in need of a quarterback, a bidding war could begin over the No. 1 pick — but that wouldn’t happen if Poles confirms one way or another how he plans to use it.
As for Fields, his future, like the trajectory of the team, will be determined by what Poles decides.
“We love where Justin is right now,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said at the team’s year-end presser. “He’s done a good job growing in the interceptions, keeping those down, the sack totals, he’s doing a good job with that, having his eyes down the field, he’s done a wonderful job with that, of being able to deliver some strikes down there and he’ll continue to grow as we grow as a football team.”
Time will tell which team Fields will be growing with next season.