I posted this in the Fields thread and figured I'd post it here, too. Please don't shoot the messenger. I don't take any pleasure in posting this.
The Bears traded Fields to the Steelers, and one of the central questions of the 2024 NFL offseason has finally been answered. But this move raises other questions, namely: Why couldn’t Chicago get more for Fields than this?
www.theringer.com
I will say this: it's one thing to
write about the Bears' trade of Fields, it's another thing to
report on the trade.
Local reporters - Courtney Cronin notably - have reported that the teams reaching out to the Bears valued Fields as a backup QB, not as a starter. So yes, a number of starter spots were filled before the Bears moved Fields, but the presumption that the Bears should have been fighting to be a part of that process may not actually be true.
The author's statement that Fields is definitively better than Sam Howell doesn't really stand to reason. With an extra year under his belt, it's hard to say Fields has put together a passing season like that of Howell.
Howell '23: 3,946 pass yards, 21 TD pass, 25 total turnover plays (INT + FUM), 65 sacks
Fields '22, arguably his best year: 2,242 pass yards, 11 TD pass, 27 turnover plays, 55 sacks
Of the teams that needed a starting QB, which ones were likely to trade for a low volume passer needing a contract extension?
Atlanta - with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and a strong catching back in Bijan Robinson, why go with a low-volume passer, in particular one who struggles in the short passing game?
Minnesota - not likely the Bears trade him within the division
Las Vegas - does Getsy actually want him?
Finally, there's the immeasurable factor of pacifying the locker room. By all accounts, Fields was extremely popular among his teammates. Last year, numerous Bears publicly advocated to keep him. Poles is setting up a pretty nice track record for himself of doing right by his own players: he's extended homegrown players like Kmet and Johnson, and now he's given Fields likely the best situation he could ask for. We shouldn't discount what that means for future free agency periods.