Bears News: Could Steelers be looking to trade for Justin Fields?

Mike Dinovo - USA Today Sports

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Fri Feb 09 18:30:12 GMT-05:00 2024

While the rumor mill has been swirling all offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers Art Rooney II fueled rumors by saying that they are “not closing the door on anything,” including trading for a quarterback. Could this mean that a deal for Bears’ quarterback Justin Fields is in the works?

Why Trading Fields to Steelers Would Make Sense

Starting with the Steelers, their need for a quarterback is quite obvious. Kenny Pickett was not good, former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky only lasted two games in Pickett’s absence, and Mason Rudolph is not a franchise quarterback. Fields has shown flashes of what he could be capable of and if there is any coach that could unleash his true potential, it is Mike Tomlin.

In line with ESPN’s Adam Schefter and his view of Fields being worth a first-round pick, Pittsburgh also has the draft capital to acquire Fields at No. 20 overall. Given his performance during his first three seasons, it does not appear he would be worth much more than that. Further, there are not many potential trade candidates as the teams most in need of a quarterback are most likely looking to draft their future as opposed to trading for it.

Going to the Bears, if they decide they want to move on from Fields, trading him to Pittsburgh makes perfect sense. Acquiring the No. 20 overall pick would give them a total of three first-round draft picks. They could use the No. 1 overall to select Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams or even trade back with either the Washington Commanders or New England Patriots to get Drake Maye from North Carolina or Jayden Daniels from Louisiana State, who is also the reigning Heisman. This way, they acquire more draft capital that will help them next season, including the possibility of the No. 1 overall pick again since both the Commanders and Patriots do not exactly look like contenders currently.

In addition, with the needs that Chicago has, such as an offensive lineman or an edge rusher, both of those issues could be addressed in the first round. They are also in need of an elite receiver, and with so many prospects coming from LSU, if Chicago went the route of Daniels, they could also draft one of his receivers using the No. 20 overall pick.

Why Not to Trade Fields to Pittsburgh

There are two arguments why not to trade Fields to the Steelers. First, with Schefter putting the value of Fields as a first-round pick, perhaps there is another contender. While it would not seem he is worth much more than No. 20 overall, maybe the Atlanta Falcons sitting at No. 8 overall disagree. If Atlanta is willing to give their No. 8 overall pick up for Fields, that is worth it unless the Steelers are willing to throw in a high-level player, such as receiver Diontae Johnson. Despite a huge drop in targets and receptions, Johnson had a career-high in yards per reception at 14.1.

That might make the No. 20 pick worth it versus No. 8, but getting No. 8 would also allow Chicago to have three picks in the top-10 of the draft, giving them a lot of flexibility to draft franchise players, such as offensive lineman Joe Olt out of Notre Dame and one of the top receivers in the draft, although probably not Marvin Harrison Jr from Ohio State. Chicago would still be able to draft their franchise quarterback in this scenario.

Then there is scenario No. 2 - keep Fields and draft Harrison Jr. Doing this would give Chicago only two first-round draft picks, but they would have an experienced quarterback where they already know his skill set, he knows the playbook and has developed chemistry with his players. This scenario would also make a lot of sense, given the Bears’ top receiver, DJ Moore, wants Fields as his quarterback next season. Moore called Fields a “great leader” whose “growth has been phenomenal.”

Chicago’s star cornerback, Jaylon Johnson, has also voiced his desire to see Fields as the starting quarterback next season. When someone has that kind of support in the locker room, it is hard to imagine the Bears moving on from him.

Keeping him would also allow the Bears to spend their picks on building around Fields, such as drafting Harrison Jr to go alongside Moore. Plus, with a new and experienced offensive coordinator at the helm, he could finally be given the chance to prove himself in the way he was never given before with Luke Getsy.