Bears reportedly turned down a bigger offer to do right by Justin Fields as Ryan Poles promised
The Justin Fields Era in Chicago is officially over, and after sitting on the news for a few hours, more details have come to light regarding the Bears' decision to trade their former first round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The bombshell trade took everyone by surprise, not because the trade itself occurred, but because […]
The Justin Fields Era in Chicago is officially over, and after sitting on the news for a few hours, more details have come to light regarding the Bears' decision to trade their former first round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The bombshell trade took everyone by surprise, not because the trade itself occurred, but because of the return the Bears got for the young and electric playmaker.
In return for trading Fields, the Bears received a 2025 conditional 6th-round pick that can become a 4th-round pick if Fields plays 51 percent or more of the Steelers' 2024 snaps. If that seems like a low return, that's because it is, and perhaps that was the intention this entire time.
According to a source at ESPN, the Bears' front office turned down multiple offers from upwards of five different teams, all viewing him in a backup role. Here's what ESPN's Courtney Cronin explained in her piece:
"A source told ESPN that five teams in addition to Pittsburgh reached out to Chicago, and the majority of those teams had envisioned the former first-round pick in a backup role. Additionally, the Steelers had been in talks with the Bears throughout the week of free agency and reached out again after sending Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. The Bears had an additional offer with stronger draft capital from a team with an established starter, per a source, but chose to send Fields to Pittsburgh with the hope of putting the 25-year-old in a position to continue his development — first as a backup to Wilson and eventually as a starter." – ESPN's Courtney Cronin
This information about the Bears having multiple teams interested in Fields to reach out regarding a trade was even backed up by Bears' general manager Ryan Poles soon after the trade was officially announced.
"We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is what is best for both Justin and the Bears," Poles said in his statement. "We spoke to Justin to inform him of the trade and the rationale behind it for us as a Club. We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and all he poured into our franchise and community the last three years and wish him the best towards a long and successful NFL career."
The notion that the Bears had an additional offer that included a stronger draft capital than what the Steelers' offered puts to rest the idea that there was no market for the former first round pick and that the Bears got the best that they could in a trade.
A month ago, perhaps that was a different story going into the NFL Scouting Combine with the Bears expecting to "land a Day 2 pick in the 2024 draft coupled with a 2025 pick that had the potential to escalate" as Cronin also explained. That was before the likes of Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Gardner Minshew, Baker Mayfield, and more free agent quarterbacks signed with teams at the start of free agency.
The decision to move on from Fields and receive as little capital as they did proved that the front office cared more about doing right by their former player than bettering the future for the team, which is exactly what Poles said he wanted to do when asked about the inevitable Fields trade at the combine.
"If we were to do something with Justin [Fields], I want to do right by him," Poles explained days ago. "I know, again, living in that gray space – you would want to do something sooner rather than later. But like I talked about with contracts, it takes two teams to figure that out."
The Bears ultimately did do right by Fields, sending him to an exceptionally ran organization in Pittsburgh where he will have the opportunity to sit and learn behind a quarterback he's been emulating for years. The Bears' coaching staff comprised of head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will also be able to better handle Fields' strengths and weaknesses in a more advantageous manner.
The entire situation is now behind the Bears who left a lot of promise on the table with their former quarterback but will now set their eyes on selecting Chicago's next franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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