QB Justin Fields, NYJ (5 Viewers)

[jtd13]

Wilson is on a 1.2 million dollar deal and Justin is on a 6 million dollar deal. As a Wilson manager, I would be much more worried than a Fields manager.

Don't disagree that Russ is far from locked in for the season, but using the contract is misleading. Russ had no reason to ask for any more than the vet min. Steelers paying any more just would have saved the broncos money and not actually increased what Russ made due to offsetting language.

 

[DocHolliday]

ESPN article:

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.

I find this difficult to believe but kudos to the Bears if true.

The Bears truly are horribly run if true.

 

[Bri]

Steelers acquired QB Justin Fields from the Bears in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
The 2025 sixth-round pick can become a fourth-round pick if Fields hits certain playing time marks. The former first-round pick struggled to find much of a market during the first week of free agency but now has a chance to backup Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh following the trade of Kenny Pickett. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Wilson is the Steelers’ starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fields get a crack at the starting gig at some point in the year. As far as their long-term futures as starting quarterbacks are concerned, both Wilson and Fields have something to prove in this upcoming season, and the Steelers, who often play themselves out of a top draft pick for a quarterback, are desperately in need of a long-term solution at the position. We are a long way from drawing any definite conclusions on how this situation could shape up, but Fields now gets a chance to turn things around with a new team, while the Bears have all but guaranteed they will take Caleb Williams with the 1.01 in next month’s draft.
- Ian Rapoport, Twitter

Ok so Russ still the starter, but with a shorter leash.

A very shot leash.

He threw for 2400 yards last year.
Steelers WRs complained a bunch last year.
You don't see an issue?

 

[Bri]

ESPN article:

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.

I find this difficult to believe but kudos to the Bears if true.

The Bears truly are horribly run if true.

Weak and vague try at saving face is all.
Here's my list of NFL teams that turn down significant trades and prefer sixth round picks-

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Steelers acquired QB Justin Fields from the Bears in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
The 2025 sixth-round pick can become a fourth-round pick if Fields hits certain playing time marks. The former first-round pick struggled to find much of a market during the first week of free agency but now has a chance to backup Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh following the trade of Kenny Pickett. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Wilson is the Steelers’ starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fields get a crack at the starting gig at some point in the year. As far as their long-term futures as starting quarterbacks are concerned, both Wilson and Fields have something to prove in this upcoming season, and the Steelers, who often play themselves out of a top draft pick for a quarterback, are desperately in need of a long-term solution at the position. We are a long way from drawing any definite conclusions on how this situation could shape up, but Fields now gets a chance to turn things around with a new team, while the Bears have all but guaranteed they will take Caleb Williams with the 1.01 in next month’s draft.
- Ian Rapoport, Twitter

Ok so Russ still the starter, but with a shorter leash.

A very shot leash.

He threw for 2400 yards last year.
Steelers WRs complained a bunch last year.
You don't see an issue?

He played 13 games, so that number isn’t quite as damning. DJM was certainly productive, and Pickens is better IMO.

The biggest WR complainer was shipped out of town, so…

 

[menobrown]

Wilson is on a 1.2 million dollar deal and Justin is on a 6 million dollar deal. As a Wilson manager, I would be much more worried than a Fields manager.

Fields is making $3.2M this season. Wilson is getting paid $1.2m by Pittsburgh but also $37.8m by Denver.

Money is not the argument the pro-Fields crowd should be taking now.

 

[ghostguy123]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Wilson is on a 1.2 million dollar deal and Justin is on a 6 million dollar deal. As a Wilson manager, I would be much more worried than a Fields manager.

Fields is making $3.2M this season. Wilson is getting paid $1.2m by Pittsburgh but also $37.8m by Denver.

Money is not the argument the pro-Fields crowd should be taking now.

The money the players are getting isn’t as relevant to the situation as the money the Steelers are paying. I get what @osubuckeyeman is saying here and IMO it’s valid.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

 

[ghostguy123]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

Normally that's true, but this situation is obviously an outlier to that

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

Normally that's true, but this situation is obviously an outlier to that

That’s probably the understatement of the century. lol

I’m just sayin - if I’m spending ~5M in one dude & 1.2M on the other, I’m probably gonna try to get some return on the 5M dude.

I’d love to see Fields used as a gadget guy. Could be a fun offense if they go nuts.

 

[osubuckeyeman]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

Normally that's true, but this situation is obviously an outlier to that

It is never an outlier in the situation of money being paid.

 

[Bri]

Steelers acquired QB Justin Fields from the Bears in exchange for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick.
The 2025 sixth-round pick can become a fourth-round pick if Fields hits certain playing time marks. The former first-round pick struggled to find much of a market during the first week of free agency but now has a chance to backup Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh following the trade of Kenny Pickett. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Wilson is the Steelers’ starter, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Fields get a crack at the starting gig at some point in the year. As far as their long-term futures as starting quarterbacks are concerned, both Wilson and Fields have something to prove in this upcoming season, and the Steelers, who often play themselves out of a top draft pick for a quarterback, are desperately in need of a long-term solution at the position. We are a long way from drawing any definite conclusions on how this situation could shape up, but Fields now gets a chance to turn things around with a new team, while the Bears have all but guaranteed they will take Caleb Williams with the 1.01 in next month’s draft.
- Ian Rapoport, Twitter

Ok so Russ still the starter, but with a shorter leash.

A very shot leash.

He threw for 2400 yards last year.
Steelers WRs complained a bunch last year.
You don't see an issue?

He played 13 games, so that number isn’t quite as damning. DJM was certainly productive, and Pickens is better IMO.

The biggest WR complainer was shipped out of town, so…

24/13 isn't exactly a good number.
Neither is a 3 win average.
It's the most passing yards he's ever thrown in a season too.
"Time to develop" has passed after three years. Could he still improve or get worse- sure but three years is a fair window.

 

[menobrown]

Wilson is on a 1.2 million dollar deal and Justin is on a 6 million dollar deal. As a Wilson manager, I would be much more worried than a Fields manager.

Fields is making $3.2M this season. Wilson is getting paid $1.2m by Pittsburgh but also $37.8m by Denver.

Money is not the argument the pro-Fields crowd should be taking now.

The money the players are getting isn’t as relevant to the situation as the money the Steelers are paying. I get what @osubuckeyeman is saying here and IMO it’s valid.

It's not in the context it was presented.

ETA-which was also factually incorrect on the amount the Steelers are paying Fields but I guess we'll just ignore that.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

"Time to develop" has passed after three years. Could he still improve or get worse- sure but three years is a fair window.

Because if anyone has shown that they can develop a young player, it’s…uh….the Chicago Bears?

 

[Boston]

QB is by far the most important position in the NFL...actually it is the most important position in pro sports...31 NFL GM's did not feel the need to offer more than a 6th round pick for a 25-year-old-QB...if you get a quality back-up/core special-teamer with a 6th round pick that is a solid use of a 6th round pick...that speaks volumes of what the actual experts (not the media experts) think about Justin Fields.

 

[Donnybrook]

Anybody else find this strange. Courtney Cronin just said in her report on Fields : "Team with an established starter would have yielded a better return."
https://twitter.com/i/status/1769206052040352051
Somehow doing right by Fields was sending him to Pittsburgh

 

[N Zone]

Anybody else find this strange. Courtney Cronin just said in her report on Fields : "Team with an established starter would have yielded a better return."
https://twitter.com/i/status/1769206052040352051
Somehow doing right by Fields was sending him to Pittsburgh

Russell Wilson is 35 years old and was just dumped by a team that heavily invested draft picks and money in him and now do not even have a decent starting QB.
Jalen Hurts is 25 years old.
The Team with an established starter that wanted to trade for Fields is the Eagles.
Fields has a path to the be the long term starter in Pittsburgh.
FIelds would have no shot (barring a significant injury to Hurts) to start really ever for Philadelphia.

 

[pollardsvision]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

 

[pollardsvision]

66 QB's started a game last year. 66!!!

Yet, the Bears and Commanders are terrified at the thought that they might somehow have the misfortune of having 2 decent QB's on the roster. Again, Bears and Commanders worried about having too many good QB's.

 

[Mitchie]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

The dynamic of the QB room probably plays a role. It's also possible these teams have seen them in practice every day for 2 or 3 years and figured out they're not very good.

 

[King of the Jungle]

66 QB's started a game last year. 66!!!

Yet, the Bears and Commanders are terrified at the thought that they might somehow have the misfortune of having 2 decent QB's on the roster. Again, Bears and Commanders worried about having too many good QB's.

I can see the Bear’s not wanting the distraction with Caleb coming in, as he he brings his own personality question marks (depending on who you believe). For WAS, trading Howell for that made zero sense IMO. I do not understand why there were not more teams willing to pay a 4th-5th for Fields, but the market has spoken so maybe there are things we do not know about Field’s (outside of his inconsistent play).

 

[fred_1_15301]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

Normally that's true, but this situation is obviously an outlier to that

That’s probably the understatement of the century. lol

I’m just sayin - if I’m spending ~5M in one dude & 1.2M on the other, I’m probably gonna try to get some return on the 5M dude.

I’d love to see Fields used as a gadget guy. Could be a fun offense if they go nuts.

I wonder if Fields can play WR. That’s a need for the Steelers and it worked with Kordell. In short yardage situations (and others), just swing Fields back under center.

 

[Max Power]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

Yep. It's "a business" when it's convenient. Yet QBs feelings get elevated over business decisions.

Bears have weak ownership, management, coaching and leaders. This is what they deserve.

 

[Enzo....the Baker]

Poles said they wanted to do him right by trading him before the draft....but they couldn't do him right offensively his first few seasons in the league?

And then to trade him to the effing steelers who stole your 2nd rounder in the Claypool trade?

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak. I still think the Bears should of held onto him as even if they took Williams and decided to start him then you'd have a decent backup unless Fields was unwilling to be a backup but if that were the case then it almost seems like Poles was being venge by sending him to a team thats heavily incentivized to not play him much.

I also agree with the guy that said they'll use him like Hill.

 

[jabarony]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak. I still think the Bears should of held onto him as even if they took Williams and decided to start him then you'd have a decent backup unless Fields was unwilling to be a backup but if that were the case then it almost seems like Poles was being venge by sending him to a team thats heavily incentivized to not play him much.

I also agree with the guy that said they'll use him like Hill.

I would not call a 6th vs. a 4th as "heavily incentivized" not to play him. If PIT thinks Fields will help them win games, they'll not worry for a second about that draft pick swap.

 

[pollardsvision]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak. I still think the Bears should of held onto him as even if they took Williams and decided to start him then you'd have a decent backup unless Fields was unwilling to be a backup but if that were the case then it almost seems like Poles was being venge by sending him to a team thats heavily incentivized to not play him much.

I also agree with the guy that said they'll use him like Hill.

I would not call a 6th vs. a 4th as "heavily incentivized" not to play him. If PIT thinks Fields will help them win games, they'll not worry for a second about that draft pick swap.

It's also an Arthur Smith offense in a division with great defenses.

I don't know what the incentives are, but I'll take the under even if he starts 17 games.

 

[ChiefD]

If Fields was worth more the Bears would have gotten more. He sucks. Bears were lucky to get a 6th out of him.

 

[Grahamburn]

While it’s possible they never got a better offer, I have to think they could have gotten a 3 or 4 a month ago if they just said we’re moving fields bring your best day 2 pick.

I always felt like he was worth a 3rd. The 5-6 potential starting QBs available in the draft and free agent situations really hurt his opportunity to be a starter and therefore depressed the value.

Also, if I were Pittsburgh I'd pick up that option.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

If Fields was worth more the Bears would have gotten more. He sucks. Bears were lucky to get a 6th out of him.

I think they just had no leverage. Everyone knew they are going qb in the draft. There were a bunch of quality qbs in free agency. It’s a deep qb draft. And only a few teams were really in the qb market. Plus a bunch of young qbs traded prior to fields.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

It's because players are soft and have fragile egos. There's zero reason you don't say to Fields: 'listen, we prefer to trade you but there's no market right now. We want you to start until week 8, than Williams will take over. Ball out and improve and we promise to not pick up your option so you can go to FA and pick your best fit'.
And, oh yeah, this would also lead to a better draft pick than a 6th in the form of comp picks.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I think the bears were just trying to do right by him.

 

[Grahamburn]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

It's because players are soft and have fragile egos. There's zero reason you don't say to Fields: 'listen, we prefer to trade you but there's no market right now. We want you to start until week 8, than Williams will take over. Ball out and improve and we promise to not pick up your option so you can go to FA and pick your best fit'.
And, oh yeah, this would also lead to a better draft pick than a 6th in the form of comp picks.

Caleb Williams - "trade me"

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak. I still think the Bears should of held onto him as even if they took Williams and decided to start him then you'd have a decent backup unless Fields was unwilling to be a backup but if that were the case then it almost seems like Poles was being venge by sending him to a team thats heavily incentivized to not play him much.

I also agree with the guy that said they'll use him like Hill.

I would not call a 6th vs. a 4th as "heavily incentivized" not to play him. If PIT thinks Fields will help them win games, they'll not worry for a second about that draft pick swap.

I agree to an extent. Pitt is going to clearly march out Russel and if they struggle with him they (likely) won't hesitate to switch but I just wouldn't be suprised if Pitt tries to keep to a 6th rd and they resign him with either his fith year option or a new contract down the road.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

At that price, what the heck was the point of trading Fields?
I know the answer, teams nowadays are absolutely petrified of any hint of a QB controversy.

But still, why not say, "hey Justin, you're apparently worth a 6th round pick, and we need QB depth. So, here's a clipboard. But don't worry, we're the Bears so this QB we're about to draft will probably suck, so you'll get another shot"

Bears and Commanders, man. Both franchises are acting like it's simply impossible for them to whiff on a top pick.

It's because players are soft and have fragile egos. There's zero reason you don't say to Fields: 'listen, we prefer to trade you but there's no market right now. We want you to start until week 8, than Williams will take over. Ball out and improve and we promise to not pick up your option so you can go to FA and pick your best fit'.
And, oh yeah, this would also lead to a better draft pick than a 6th in the form of comp picks.

Caleb Williams - "trade me"

Yeah, that wouldn't happen. If it did, then you trade down and take a less mentally soft player. I'm a fan of McCarthy myself.
Just tell Williams straight out in the pre-draft interview your plans: 'We want to give you time to develop and catch up with the NFL. We believe this will help you in the long run'. If he balks at this, well, you're also going to talk to a minimum of 3 other qbs so you can guage their interest . Oh yeah, you can also trade down a but and get some more picks to play with.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

If Fields was worth more the Bears would have gotten more. He sucks. Bears were lucky to get a 6th out of him.

Listening to Dukes on the radio this AM on the way to my market, he’s putting 100% of the blame for the valuation on Poles.

Said Fields is worth a 2nd or at least multiple 3rds, but because the Bears ham-fisted this so badly they caused the value to drop.

He had a guest on who agreed that had they acted early and aggressively they could easily have gotten a 3rd, and had they waited until the draft they could have easily gotten a 3rd.

This popular narrative that no team would pay more than a 6th is a fiction. Fields fetched what he did because the Bears were clueless in the way they went about trying to move him.

That the Bears were incompetent enough to end up selling for a 6th isn’t necessarily an indictment on Fields as many of you are asserting.

Most of the pro analysts I’ve read & heard have agreed that the Steelers got a bargain, and the consensus seems to be that they got a bargain because the Bears are idiots. Poles should be fired for this.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

and they resign him with either his fith year option or a new contract down the road.

Regardless of whether it’s a 4th or a 6th, I believe the Steelers are looking at this as a way to land a young franchise QB on the cheap.

IMO if it costs them a 4th instead of a 6th to help them make that decision, that’s well worth it before they spend $20 million a year or whatever it will take to extend Fields.

So if that means starting Fields half the season to see if there’s enough of a foundation, then that’s totally worth the 4th.

This is a dude who rushed for 1100 yards last year. He’s got athleticism. If they can develop the arm, there’s a ton of upside. That he was a decent passer in college makes this a somewhat likely prospect.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak.

Do you have a link for that report? Thanks.

And for everyone, please share links when we're talking about quotes or articles. Thanks.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

ESPN article:

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 article:

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.

I find this difficult to believe but kudos to the Bears if true.

 

[ghostguy123]

Pretty disingenuous to say "Russ is on a 1.2 million dollar deal" as some sort of salary comparison

Not to speak for anyone, but I’m pretty sure OSU’s point was that the Steelers are investing certain amounts in these players, so one might consider that who’s getting the larger of the 2 of the Steelers investments might be relevant to the Steelers.

It might not, but it might.

Normally that's true, but this situation is obviously an outlier to that

It is never an outlier in the situation of money being paid.

You must be trying to trade Fields, too.

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

and they resign him with either his fith year option or a new contract down the road.

Regardless of whether it’s a 4th or a 6th, I believe the Steelers are looking at this as a way to land a young franchise QB on the cheap.

IMO if it costs them a 4th instead of a 6th to help them make that decision, that’s well worth it before they spend $20 million a year or whatever it will take to extend Fields.

So if that means starting Fields half the season to see if there’s enough of a foundation, then that’s totally worth the 4th.

This is a dude who rushed for 1100 yards last year. He’s got athleticism. If they can develop the arm, there’s a ton of upside. That he was a decent passer in college makes this a somewhat likely prospect.

I mean yeah, I agree.

 

[GregR]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak.

Do you have a link for that report? Thanks.

And for everyone, please share links when we're talking about quotes or articles. Thanks.

Will Justin Fields start in Pittsburgh? Did the Bears get many offers? We answer the key questions

The Bears seemingly eliminated any doubt Caleb Williams will be their No. 1 pick with the trade, but what's next for both teams?

www.espn.com

In the section "What made the Bears decide this was the best offer they could get?"

 

[Joe Bryant]

I agree with the guy that said the ESPN report is iffy and is more like an intentional pr leak.

Do you have a link for that report? Thanks.

And for everyone, please share links when we're talking about quotes or articles. Thanks.

Will Justin Fields start in Pittsburgh? Did the Bears get many offers? We answer the key questions

The Bears seemingly eliminated any doubt Caleb Williams will be their No. 1 pick with the trade, but what's next for both teams?

www.espn.com

In the section "What made the Bears decide this was the best offer they could get?"

Thank you. Links are always super valuable.

 

[Joe Bryant]

I do find the quote from the article hard to believe. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39747405/nfl-justin-fields-steelers-bears-trade-russell-wilson

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.

That doesn't seem plausible. It's a business. I'm sure the Bears liked Fields and wish him the best. But they are doing what is best for them. And with such parity in the league, most all the situations are ok.

 

[Anarchy99]

I just wouldn't be surprised if Pitt tries to keep to a 6th rd and they resign him with either his fifth year option or a new contract down the road.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I think some people may not fully understand the options the Steelers have with regard to Fields. I just listened to a bunch of talk radio, and the callers and the hosts had this wrong. They all discussed it as PIT will just pick up the fifth year option after the season and will decide then if he is worth it. Here are the options:

- Fields is guaranteed $3.2 million for 2024 (even if they decide he's not for them and cut him).
- They have until 5/2 to pick up his fifth year option for 2025 for a guaranteed $25.6 million.
- They have to decide that in May . . . NOT after the season plays out.
- If they decline his option, Fields would become an UFA for 2025. Any team could sign him at that point.
- If they pick up his option, he would become an UFA for 2026. Any team could sign him at that point.

However, the Steelers have the ability to negotiate a new deal / extension with Fields like the Packers did with Love. GB declined his fifth year option but signed him to an extension which paid Love more in the 4th year than he was set to make but less than he would have made in the 5th year. Who knows if that would appease Fields, as he may rather want to hit free agency sooner to try to find a better deal.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

I do find the quote from the article hard to believe. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39747405/nfl-justin-fields-steelers-bears-trade-russell-wilson

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.

That doesn't seem plausible. It's a business. I'm sure the Bears liked Fields and wish him the best. But they are doing what is best for them. And with such parity in the league, most all the situations are ok.

It's not true. It's spin because Chicago botched this in every way it could be botched. Poles wasn't aggressive enough early on and it bit him in the butt. He simply overplayed his hand.
Conversely, if it somehow is true, he should be fired immediately.

 

[osubuckeyeman]

Did Fields restructure his deal? Over the Cap had him at 6 million this year for this season yesterday, Did he convert or has that changed? And good for the Steelers they got a steal. Now Over The Cap doesn't have any of what was listed yesterday just this year's number. Spotrac has the contract as 4.717 with his roster bonus. I think he will get that but it is not guaranteed. The guarantee is 3.233. The only thing I can think of is I was looking at 2023 but still weird Over The Cap has changed what they showed as of yesterday unless I had a stroke and did not know. I did go to a Blue Jackets game so maybe.

This is even a better deal for the Steelers than I could imagine.

 

[GregR]

The only reasons I can envision for taking significantly less on a trade, would be a contender not wanting to trade a good player with another contender (KC and Baltimore for instance). Or a team not wanting to trade a good player within their division. No idea if Lions, Packers or Vikings were the other team. Someone here said it was Philly but I don't know what the source of that was.

 

[GregR]

Did Fields restructure his deal? Over the Cap had him at 6 million this year for this season yesterday, Did he convert or has that changed? And good for the Steelers they got a steal. Now Over The Cap doesn't have any of what was listed yesterday just this year's number. Spotrac has the contract as 4.717 with his roster bonus. I think he will get that but it is not guaranteed,

This is even a better deal for the Steelers than I could imagine.

It looks like the $6m consisted of a $2.77m cap hit for his signing bonus, and then $3.23m in 2024 money split even between salary and roster bonus.

The $2.77m was already paid by Chicago and hits their cap now due to the trade. So Pittsburgh's cost for him would only be the $3.23m still to be paid this year. Edit to add: The $3.23m still owed him by the Steelers is fully guaranteed.