While it remains to be seen what the Chicago Bears want to do about their third-year pro quarterback Justin Fields, you better believe he will have suitors on the trade market should Chicago put him on the block.
Fields will be eligible for his fifth-year option out of Ohio State this offseason, which would almost certainly be picked up if he were to conceivably be traded. Chicago may have a new head coach, maybe even a new general manager?
The only thing I trust the Bears to do with the quarterback position is the wrong one. They have forever been chasing the ghost of Sid Luckman, perpetually stuck in 1985. Although they have had talented players under center since Luckman, namely Fields, Jim McMahon, Jay Cutler and to some extent, Rex Grossman, it rarely works out for whatever passer scrambles out of the pocket for his life.
Truthfully, I think it is way too early to forecast if the Bears are indeed going to pivot off Fields this offseason. Heck, I am not even sure if head coach Matt Eberflus or general manager Ryan Poles will be out of a job after only two years in their current roles. But with that in mind, Chicago could get a boatload from a borderline contending team in need of a signal-caller the caliber of Fields this spring.
If the Bears are willing to field trade offers for Fields, do not be shocked if these teams come calling.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers can upgrade from Kenny Pickett with Justin Fields
Out of sheer stubbornness, I highly doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers will be willing to admit defeat on The Fake Slide King himself, Kenny Pickett. Two gloves, no touchdowns. That should be his catchphrase for not catching on at the same stadium he played his college football at. New name, same old limitations. Pickett is closer to a Bubby Brister than most people in the Steelers organization realize.
While I do believe that Fields would be an upgrade over Pickett, I cannot say if this is the best destination for him, strictly because the direction the team is hoping to go to replace Matt Canada at offensive coordinator has not been made clear. Canada was fired mid-season in Pittsburgh, which is a complete departure from how the Steelers typically do business. Are there cracks in the foundation?
In truth, I think Fields raises the Steelers' ceiling offensively over Pickett, but not considerably. He would still in all likelihood be the fourth-best quarterback in his own division, maybe as high as No. 3, depending on how you feel about Deshaun Watson coming off a season-ending injury for the Cleveland Browns. Pittsburgh must make a change or two, but quarterback may not be one of them.
Fields' talent will be elevated by playing for a winning organization, but this is a defensive-minded one.
4. Los Angeles Rams need to look for a Matthew Stafford succession plan
Matthew Stafford may have brought the Los Angeles Rams a Super Bowl championship during his first season in Southern California, but he missed most of last season due to injury and the team is not really all that back to good this year. Stafford is firmly in his mid-30s, getting older by the year. An absolute mega talent in his 20s, Stafford may not have what it takes to win the division with the Rams.
As long as Kyle Shanahan is in San Francisco, the 49ers will have an advantage in terms of offensive play-calling. Brock Purdy is a fine signal-caller, but the former Iowa State standout is clearly being propped up by his head coach. The big question if you are the Rams is how much longer Sean McVay wants to keep doing this? One way to reinvigorate his coaching chops is a younger talent like Fields.
He may already have talented guys in-house in Carson Wentz and Stetson Bennett IV, but Fields has the higher ceiling of Bennett and the less chaotic floor of Wentz. In short, Fields could be a slightly better version of what the Rams had previously before Stafford in Jared Goff. I contest that Goff is a way better play now that he is on the Detroit Lions, but his new team may have won the 2021 trade.
Fields to the Rams would add excitement to what looks to like a one-and-done Super Bowl franchise.
3. Seattle Seahawks will not get over the top with Geno Smith at the helm
If the Seattle Seahawks wanted to keep on keeping on with Geno Smith at quarterback, they can most certainly do that. The former West Virginia star initially busted with the flightless New York Jets before reinventing himself in the Pacific Northwest. A Pro Bowler a year ago, Smith has been just fine in his second season as the starter. However, he is not beating the San Francisco 49ers in-division.
It is the same sort of situation we have found ourselves with the Los Angeles Rams, a team with a good starting quarterback who is struggling to keep pace with a better-run operation in-division with the 49ers. Fields could be electrifying running Shane Waldron's scheme, possibly being a lesser version of what Russell Wilson was for the Seahawks during the peak of his decade-long run there.
Depending on how you feel about Pete Carroll's longevity as the head coach, this is the first potential landing spot for Fields where I can realistically envision him playing, and playing well. Outside of two seasons ago, the Seahawks rarely bottom out under Carroll's watch. If Waldron is tabbed as a potential internal succession candidate, then I would be all in favor of Fields being traded over there.
Fields might be what it takes to take the Seahawks from a top-seven NFC team into a top-four one.
2. Las Vegas Raiders are in dire need of some juice from their quarterback
If we are looking at a complete new start for Fields, I think it would be hard to top what could be available to him with the Las Vegas Raiders. Owner Mark Davis made sure that Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler no longer work for his team weeks ago. With a new head coach and general manager coming in, the Raiders have a chance to get better in a hurry if Davis makes the right series of hires.
While it remains to be seen if Antonio Pierce will have his interim tag removed and get the full-time gig, the Raiders are in dire need of an upgrade at quarterback anyway. Jimmy Garoppolo gets hurt all the time. Brian Hoyer is still somehow in this league as a veteran backup. Although Aidan O'Connell still has some upside as a rookie, there is a reason why he was not a first-round pick out of Purdue.
If the Raiders wanted to give their offense some much-needed juice, I would entertain the possibility of trading for Fields. It would be a deal to a team in the other league, one where neither party would have to give up as much the Carolina Panthers did to get the No. 1 pick from the Bears so they could draft Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud. Look at how well those series of moves worked out in Carolina...
The Raiders are a pretty decent landing spot for Fields, but there is one landing spot better out there.
1. Atlanta Falcons are Justin Fields' hometown team, best landing spot
Even though for Atlanta Falcons reasons it still may not happen, if Fields were to be traded anywhere this offseason, it would be to his hometown Dirty Birds. Atlanta had a chance to draft Fields No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Falcons opted to go with tight end Kyle Pitts out of Florida. Pitts was a unicorn coming out of the SEC, so you can understand their logic of passing on Fields in 2021.
However, 2021 was Matt Ryan's last season in Atlanta. Last year saw Marcus Mariota win a few games under center before quitting on the team once it became clear that rookie Desmond Ridder was ready to start. Ridder has been the Atlanta starter for most of the season, but was briefly benched for Atlanta area native Taylor Heinicke before reclaiming his starting job. Ridder is not exactly crushing it.
The hope for Ridder the rest of the way is that he can become the Falcons' rough equivalent of Dak Prescott, a great college player who did not go in the first-round for obvious reasons. If he turns the corner in the final third of the year, Fields coming to Atlanta could be a moot point. If Ridder fails and the Falcons fade down the stretch, it would be hard not to see Fields suiting up for Atlanta in 2024.
Atlanta could draft another quarterback, but the Falcons may not be selecting inside of the top 10.
