Justin Fields goes from the Windy City to the Steel City.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bears are trading away Justin Fields. Chicago is getting back a 2025 6th-round pick that turns into a 4th-rounder if he plays 51 percent of this upcoming season.
The former Bears quarterback was drafted 11th overall in 2021 (in a trade-up by Chicago) and was the main starter for the last three seasons.
The Steelers only had one quarterback on the roster, who they signed in free agency. After trading one the day before, this move made sense. Chicago, with the number one overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will look to take their new franchise signal caller, most likely USC’s Caleb Williams. This is also two days before the Bears made a trade for a veteran wide receiver from the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chicago Bears trade Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Trade condition update: The 2025 6th-round pick that the Steelers traded to the Bears for Justin Fields will become a 4th-round pick if he plays in 51 percent of the plays this season, per source. https://t.co/mwHyivli7I
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2024
This trade happened less than a day after the Steelers traded away Kenny Pickett. The former two-year starter for Pittsburgh was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in a pick swap. Pickett was the 20th overall selection in 2022 and dealt with injuries each season in the NFL. The former Pitt quarterback stays in Pennslyvania, backing up Jalen Hurts.
With Mason Rudolph (Titans) and Mitch Trubisky (Bills) signing with new teams, the Steelers only had recent free agent signing Russell Wilson on the team at quarterback. This gives Pittsburgh a young backup to the veteran. Justin Fields would give the team a dynamic game-changer at the position if the 35-year-old Wilson were to miss any time.
The Bears, with an incoming rookie passer, will have him throw to the likes of 31-year-old Keenan Allen, who they traded for two days ago from the Chargers. The veteran six-time Pro-Bowler pairs nicely with D.J. Moore at wide receiver, along with a potential rookie.
Chicago recently signed veteran journeyman Brett Rypien to the roster, with former undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent also competing for the backup job in 2024. The Steelers also made a move to sign a veteran receiver after the Diontae Johnson trade to the Carolina Panthers.
Justin Fields Career Summary
Although Fields had a short stint in Chicago as the starter, he is a record-holder and had huge games on the ground.
In 2022, against the Miami Dolphins, he ran for the most yards by a quarterback in a single game with 178. But other than that, his NFL career so far has been tumultuous, to say the least, but he did make some improvement as a passer.
At 6’3″ and 228 pounds, he has also had issues staying durable in the NFL. Fields played 13 games as the starter this past year, throwing for 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Besides his rookie year where he played 12 games, the most amount of starts was in 2022, where he played 15 games as the starter. Passing-wise, the last two years, Fields has stayed about the same with around 2,200-2,500 yards through the air with a 59-61% completion percentage.
Career-wise, besides going 3-12 in that span, that season was his best statistical year with 1,143 yards on the ground. In 2022, He had one more passing touchdown (17) but two more interceptions (11). The big difference was the rushing touchdowns, with eight touchdowns on the ground to go back down to only four the following year.
Fields will have to cut back turnovers, with 38 career fumbles, and has shown that he is prone to taking sacks.
For 2024, Fields is making about $1.6 million, so it will be a big test for the 25-year-old. He would be on the 5th year option in 2025, set to make over $25 million. This makes the Pittsburgh Steelers very interesting in terms of where they move forward at quarterback past 2024.
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