The Steelers Steal Justin Fields from the Bears
THE HEIST
The Pittsburgh Steelers just robbed the Chicago Bears this weekend in broad daylight. Getting Justin Fields in 2024, giving up ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in 2024, and only giving up a 2025 6th-round pick that MIGHT turn into a 4th-rounder. This is what we call BIG BANK take little bank.
After three seasons, the Bears have decided to move on from Fields and will surely use the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft to select former USC quarterback Caleb Williams. It appears as if the Steelers will have Justin Fields back up Russell Wilson, who is hoping to reboot his career following two rocky seasons in Denver. Pittsburgh traded former starting quarterback Kenny Pickett to Philadelphia shortly after signing Wilson.
Six teams inquired about Fields, according to ESPN, but the majority of those teams envisioned Fields as a backup QB. The Bears were hoping to get something similar to what the Jets received when they traded Sam Darnold in 2021 to the Carolina Panthers (a 2021 sixth-round pick, 2022 second and fourth-round picks) but had to pivot when they weren’t getting the offers that they had hoped for.
Consider what Pittsburgh got in the Pickett trade: a 2024 third-round pick (No. 98 overall) and two 2025 seventh-round picks while giving the Philadelphia Eagles Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 120). The fact that the Steelers got considerably more for Pickett than the Bears did for Fields is nothing short of mind-boggling.
It’s important to note that the pick the Bears acquired in this trade will improve to a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51% of the time of Pittsburgh’s offense this season. But with Wilson entrenched as the starter, that would require either an injury to Wilson or Fields replacing him for a performance-based reason.
A week ago, Pickett was still the Steelers’ starting quarterback, as Pittsburgh was busy looking for his competition. Well, there won’t be a competition in Pittsburgh now, not with Wilson entrenched as the starter and Fields backing up him. Fields, however, doesn’t appear to mind the situation he’s entering. He has told people since being traded that he is excited for his new beginning, via Sports Illustrated.
THE MULA
The Pittsburgh Steelers will spend less than $4.5 million this season for Fields and Wilson. That’s an incredible deal for one quarterback, let alone two in this day and age in the NFL.
This will continue to give the Steelers the ability to sign more players to add to their roster. This was a good low-risk move for Pittsburgh. They gave up little to acquire a young quarterback who has a high ceiling and untapped potential.
THE CONCLUSION
Fields wasn’t set up for success in Chicago, yet he continued to improve and in 2022 recorded the second-highest rushing total by a quarterback in NFL history for a single season.
With that said, one may wonder if Ryan Poles intended to keep Fields this whole time. It is quite interesting that he was always mysterious in 23’ up until now regarding trading the pick.
The roster outside of Moore and Kmet was awful this past season until Sweat was signed… But prior the defense gave up 34.2 points per game.
The run game outside of Fields was atrocious. Take away Justin Fields’ yards and the Bears were 22nd in the league.
In the end, did Justin Fields show enough progress, probably not. But the deck was ALWAYS stacked against him and it started when the roster was ripped to its studs and they asked essentially a rookie to carry garbage in Fields’ second year.
I wish things had gone differently for Justin Fields. The Bears failed him in my opinion. I’ll be rooting for him in Pittsburgh, but I guess Caleb Williams is the future for my Bears and honestly, I’m happy we can stop all the turmoil and move forward now.
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