CLEVELAND, OHIO – DECEMBER 17: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears looks on during the first half of a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have finally completed a trade involving starting quarterback Justin Fields, all but assuring that they’ll draft Caleb Williams with the top selection next month.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bears are trading Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick. The selection will be upgraded to a fourth-rounder if he plays 51 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1769133314915389834
A looming Fields trade was the worst-kept secret in football heading into the offseason. Once the Bears secured the top pick (courtesy of the Carolina Panthers), it was clear that Fields was on borrowed time in Chicago.
Fields becomes the third QB selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft to have switched teams. Mac Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, and the San Francisco 49ers sent Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season.
With Zach Wilson also on his way out of Gotham, it’s only a matter of time until that number climbs to four. So far, only Trevor Lawrence (the No. 1 selection of the Jaguars) has asserted himself as a star in this league.
Over his three seasons with the Bears, the 25-year-old Fields went 10-28-0 as a starter and completed 61.4 percent of his pass attempts for 6,674 yards and 40 touchdowns against 30 interceptions to go along with 2,220 rushing yards and 14 rushing scores.
The Steelers Are The Perfect Destination For Fields
The amount of possible suitors for Fields had rapidly dwindled in the opening days of the new league year. But the Steelers are the ideal destination for Fields, who can learn from Russell Wilson for a year before potentially taking over as the new franchise QB in Pittsburgh.
With Wilson only on a one-year deal and about to enter his age 35/36 season, Fields should get the opportunity to prove himself as a capable long-term solution for the Steelers.
