Bear Digest

Where Best to Ship Justin Fields

Analysis: The best place for Justin Fields to be traded from the standpoint of the Bears might not be where it would be good for him or the other team.
Gene Chamberlain|
Where Best to Ship Justin Fields
Where Best to Ship Justin Fields

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Chicago Bears

The idea of Justin Fields being in another team's uniform is galling to some Bears fans.

It seems Fields seems the same way.

"I can't see myself playing in another place," Fields told the St. Brown Brothers podcast.

Worse yet, the idea of seeing him suddenly develop into an outstanding passer with another team would mean the Bears not only missed on their long-sought quarterback but actually had him starting three years for him this time and and still couldn't identify him as their future. 

Fields turns 25 years old in a week and a half, so he's plenty young enough to develop at a later stage. He also has made enough spectacular plays to indicate he could actually be far better than he has shown with two head coaches, two offenses and two offensive coordinators in Chicago.

Then again, it's the consistency with smaller plays and fewer negative plays that have dragged him down and not a lack of big plays.

If he elminates the excessive fumbling—38 fumbles in 38 starts and 40 games—completes more shorter passes for a higher completion percentage and stops contributing to his own sacks, it might help his winning percentage. Fields obvious caused a number of his 135 career sacks because his sack percentage was 10.6% and Tyson Bagent's percentage behind the same line last season was 3.4%, all while he was getting rid of the ball faster (2.89 seconds to 3.23 seconds) than Fields.

Obviously the best place to send Fields is the team that gives them the Bears the best return. The favorite location for the Bears to trade Fields to with Bettors is Atlanta but this means nothing if another team starts bidding.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin and Field Yates say it's the opinion of many around the league that they can get a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder, yet there are many who have suggested a first-round pick. Draft guru Mel Kiper is among them. Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz was the latest one.

There's no way to predict what team might value Fields much higher than others but it's safe to say one with the most draft capital would have a better opportunity.

There are other factors to consider, as well.

Here are the best places the Bears can trade Justin Fields ranked in order. The list doesn't included the Vikings, who obviously could be in the market for a quarterback because they're going to find it difficult to tag or pay Kirk Cousins. They've been offered up as a candidate elsewhere but the Bears would be inviting disaster by trading him to a divisional opponent.

6. Las Vegas Raiders

At one point this would have been an ideal team to trade Fields to but now not so much with Luke Getsy as their offensive coordinator. It's not as if the two were at each other's throats but after the offense failed in Chicago with both together, you'd have to assume the Raiders wouldn't be willing to put them both together again. Fields did kind of throw Getsy under the bus once by saying he wasn't being used in the best way by the coaches but then backtracked on this quickly, obviously at the urging of the team. The Raiders have the draft capital with the 44th pick in Round 2, 77th in Round 3 and 113 in Round 4. It just doesn't seem like a mix for Fields himself.

5. Washington Commanders

Of course, the Commanders do have their choice of two of the top three passers in the draft. If they wanted to get creative, they also could draft Marvin Harrison Jr. and Fields and they have much more draft capital for a move like this because they have the 36th and 40th picks in Round 2, 67th in Round 3 and 103rd in Round 4. Those are picks at the top of the rounds so it's better from the Bears standpoint. Would they rather have fields backed up by second-year QB Sam Howell or Howell backing up Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels? A drawback: The Bears would have to face them this year.

4. Tennessee Titans

The Titans have Will Levis but can't be overjoyed with his first year. He did a better job as a passer than Fields as a rookie but not better than Fields last year. After the seventh pick in Round 1, the Titans have the 38th pick in Round 2, no Round 3 pick and the 107th in Round 4. It might be difficult to work around that lack of a third-rounder for the Titans. Being an AFC team, it's better for the Bears from this standpoint, too.

3. Atlanta Falcons

This would be ideal for Fields because he'd be home and he would get to play with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. It could be an explosive offense based on the personnel, as long as they could get the blocking. This sends Fields to the team where the GM who drafted him works. Ryan Pace is their player personnel director. Fields would come in where there are two quarterbacks who underachieved last year, Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder. More important for the Bears is the Falcons have a second-rounder (43), two third-rounders (74 and 79) and a fourth-rounder (110). The drawback that leaves Fields only third on the opion list is they're in the NFC. At least they wouldn't have to face him this year but imagine the Bears in the future improving and then getting eliminated in the playoffs by Fields and the Falcons. And you thought the Double Doink was painful.

2. New England Patriots

The Patriots have the third pick so maybe they wouldn't be interested but it's possible they'd prefer Fields over either Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, whichever falls to No. 3. He has experience and is only 25. But they're not giving up the third pick for Fields. They have the 34th pick in Round 2, 68th in Round 3 and 104th in Round 4. So they are well stocked to make such a trade. Van Pelt would work well with Fields as he has been the coordinator working with Watson and the Browns in a similar West Coast wide zone-based offense like the Bears ran last year. They're a better option for the Bears than the Falcons because they're in the AFC. The fact the Patriots can simply draft their own QB makes this an unlikely pairing but they might have something if they trade a second-rounder for Fields and then pair him with Marvin Harrison Jr., who they could pick at No. 3.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is "a big fan" of Fields and Pittsburgh has a need. The report by Gerry Dulac saying they don't have interest in trading for a veteran QB also said they're going to be satisifed with letting Kenny Pickett (78.8 passer rating, 25 starts) battle with Mason Rudolph (13 starts, 4 years). If that's true then they also will need to learn to be satisifed with unemployment. Neither of those two are the answer. Fields would give them the veteran who is ready to win and succeed while providing an answer to Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and Cleveland's Deshaun Watson in terms of a mobile passer. Better yet from the Bears' standpoint, the Steelers have picks in each of the first four rounds (20, 51, 84, 121, 122). The best part from the Bears' standpoint is they're in the AFC  

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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