Getty QB Justin Fields
T he Chicago Bears weren’t the only team interested in quarterback Justin Fields.
According to separate reports, multiple teams considered taking Fields on the first day of the draft, but fortunately for the Bears and their fans, it didn’t work out that way. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, the Minnesota Vikings, who initially had the 14th overall pick before trading down, giving that pick to the New York Jets, “made an offer” for Fields, “but they obviously weren’t offering a 2022 first to move up three spots.”
As it turns out, the Vikings weren’t the only team that considered drafting the new Bears quarterback. Michael Silver of The NFL Network reported that the Denver Broncos also “really liked” Fields, but simply liked cornerback Patrick Surtain II better, which is who defensive-minded head coach Vic Fangio ended up taking.
Why Surtain II over Fields at 9 for the @Broncos? Glad you asked, @AndrewSiciliano @nflnetwork
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Bears Worked All Draft Day to Nab Fields
Moving up to draft Fields was something the Bears had been planning for awhile, and they certainly made every effort on Day 1 to make it happen. “We had multiple plans tonight, and the way the board was falling, we got excited when the quarterbacks came off that way and Justin continued to fall,” Bears GM Ryan Pace said Thursday night.
“For us, it was just executing our plan at the right spot in the draft and being patient with that, which sometimes can be difficult. Fortunately, with the Giants, I’ve known (senior vice president and GM) Dave Gettleman for 20 years. He’s an amazing person and amazing general manager and we go way back, so that communication started really this morning about something like that happening, and when we were able to execute it in the draft, I just feel real fortunate,” Pace added.
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‘We Knew There Was Gonna Be a Sweet Spot for Us’
Pace and the Bears gave the Giants two first-round picks (this year’s No. 20 and next year’s in 2022), a 2021 fifth-rounder, and a 2022 fourth-round pick to move up and get their signal-caller of the future. If Fields becomes the team’s answer at the position, it will absolutely be worth it.
“We knew there was gonna be a sweet spot for us to be in that quarterback world, and right in this area was kind of it,” Pace said. “It just required a little bit of patience to get to that point, and kind of what’s fair for us and what’s fair for the other club. You have to be realistic to do these trades, and I thought this one was very fair. It kind of played out that way. We started making a lot of those phone calls this morning with those teams in that area and just trying to find out what was a reality, and this one was. So it worked out.”
It sure did. And Bears fans could not be happier about it.
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