The rumors around Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears hit overdrive at the start of the scouting combine. One thing has become clear over the past few days. What everybody thought was the truth turned out to be wrong. One of those was the perception that the Atlanta Falcons were the heavy favorite to trade for Fields. That doesn’t appear to be the case. While they do have some interest in the young quarterback, it appears they’re more focused on the two top free agents, Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield.
If that is the case, it raises the obvious question of where Fields might land. Adam Schefter of ESPN offered some insight on that during a Sportscenter segment.
“There’s been a lot of speculation on Atlanta,” Schefter said. “I think Atlanta will be something of a surprise right now to trade for Justin Fields. There’s been some conversation about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe something can be figured out there.
“The Las Vegas Raiders might have some interest, but there’s not this huge number of teams lined up to trade for Justin Fields as the Bears look to find a home for him before free agency begins in about 10 days.”
Pittsburgh put out word in the media that they aren’t interested in Fields, but it appears that is only a front. Some in the organization like the young quarterback. Head coach Mike Tomlin has deep ties to Ohio State. It appears they are willing to negotiate a deal, but perhaps the compensation isn’t where the Bears want it to be. That likely means one of two things will happen.
The Bears will trade him for less than they want, or they will hold out for more.
GM Ryan Poles said he’d prefer to make a decision on this issue by the start of free agency. That is March 13th. Maybe something will change in that time, but it seems most teams will see what happens with the free agent market. Cousins and Mayfield will get plenty of interest. Russell Wilson could likely join them if Denver cuts him. Much of this will depend on where all of them land. Once the dust settles, the Bears will better understand what the quarterback market is going into the draft.
The odds are good that a few teams won’t be picking high enough to draft somebody. That will force them to consider Justin Fields. At that point, Poles will have more leverage. He knows desperation drives the price up. The only thing required from him is patience. Chicago isn’t under any immediate pressure to trade Fields. They can easily afford his contract this year. This can be drawn all the way out to May when the 5th-year option deadline arrives. It is hard to imagine one or two teams don’t make a hard push by then.
