If Bears trade Justin Fields, what are his best landing spots?
As the Chicago Bears move closer and closer to holding the first pick in the draft thanks to the Carolina Panthers, Justin Fields’ future with the team seems up in the air. He has taken strides this year in his performance, but he hasn’t built up the consistency required to convince the Bears that passing on a quarterback with the first overall pick is the best idea for them. However, he has shown enough development this year to drum up a robust trade market, if that’s where things do in fact end up.
A lot of teams are going to try to get their hands on Drake Maye or Caleb WIlliams in the draft, but only two teams will have the ability to select them once the order becomes clearer. The rest of the quarterback-needy teams should jump in the Fields sweepstakes as a solid Plan B.
On Friday, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson wrote about why NFL general managers think trading Fields is the best route and what kind of compensation the Bears might get in return. Here are a few teams that make sense as a landing spot for Fields in a trade after the season.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have to be the team with the cleanest fit for Fields, assuming head coach Arthur Smith is able to retain his job for at least one more season. Desmond Ridder has proven to be too turnover-prone and might lose his job (again) before the season is over. The Falcons will also have trouble trading up to the top of the draft to try to get Maye or WIlliams, leaving a trade for Fields as likely their best option moving forward. Fields could be a great fit in Smith’s run-first, play-action-heavy offense. The Falcons also didn't even pick up the phone when Lamar Jackson was reportedly available last offseason. Would they pass up a trade to upgrade at quarterback again?
Washington Commanders
Sam Howell was just benched in the Commanders’ loss to the Rams, paving the way for Jacoby Brissett to show how an NFL offense is supposed to be operated to close the game. They’ll continue to start Howell for the rest of the season, but if they actually want to usurp the Cowboys or the Eagles in the NFC East, they’ll need competition for him that at the very least has the green light to take the starting job. Fields can be that guy, depending on the price. It’s not a walk-in starter situation like in Atlanta, but it is a spot where he can win the starting job based on his competition.
New York Jets
The Jets need a plan for what happens after Aaron Rodgers hangs them up, and it clearly can no longer be Zach Wilson. Fields could use some time to learn behind Rodgers and get ready for the next iteration of his career before taking over the mantle as the starter when Rodgers retires. The danger here would be Fields getting stuck in a situation in which the people who brought him to the Jets end up fired; head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas are on thin ice as things stand right now. It would be a risky spot for Fields but not the worst landing spot in the world.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers need to get serious at quarterback one of these days. Grabbing Justin Fields would go a long way toward legitimizing their offensive approach instead of running it back with the same retreads at QB. Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph are not the answer to any questions Mike Tomlin might have about his offense. Go get a dynamic playmaker to finally add something real to the quarterback room.
New Orleans Saints
Unless the Saints make another trade up in the draft, getting Fields isn’t a bad consolation prize. Their roster is probably going to be too thin to sacrifice more picks for Williams or Maye, but if they don’t get outbid, they could get Fields, put him in the backfield with Alvin Kamara and have him sit behind Derek Carr until it's financially feasible to move on from their whiff of a quarterback trade.
