Justin Fields Trade to Eagles as Jalen Hurts Backup? Upside and Downside To Rumor
The Philadelphia Eagles went big on Monday's opening of NFL free agency with swing-for-the-fences moves to sign with New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and New York Jets pass-rusher Bryce Huff.
How about one more big swing?
The Chicago Bears are willing to move quarterback Justin Fields as they consider a reboot at the position via their No. 1 overall pick in the coming NFL Draft. The market for the athletic Fields seems to have dried up.
Should the Eagles - who last year signed Marcus Mariota as the backup to Jalen Hurts and also employed rookie quarterback Tanner McKee - roll the dice?
SI's Albert Breer has suggested it'll take a decent package to pull off a trade. "If I'm Chicago, and I can get a second- or a third-rounder packaged with a Day 3 pick, I probably do that."
Yeah, but it does not appear that anybody wants to offer anything like that.
So can Fields be stolen for less? Logically, if Fields' value is super-low, the Bears would be wise to hang onto him, pending some team's accelerated need in the summer when injuries strike.
But now we know that Fields isn't going to the Steelers; Russell Wilson got that job. And we know Fields isn't going to the Falcons; Kirk Cousins got that job.
The upside to a cheap trade to acquire Fields in Philly? That's easy: QB is the most difficult position to fill. Dart throws are smart. Fields was a premium talent coming into his 2021 draft ... and that hasn't changed, in terms of raw ability. Throw some darts!
The downside? It's two-fold. One, it would likely be nothing but a rental. Fields is in the final year of his deal, and the Bears don't seem to want to pay him long-term. The Eagles won't want to pay him, either ... so that could make for an unhappy camper.
And two, the Eagles locker room chemistry is - as Philly fans have come to learn - a delicate thing. Hurts' leadership has been questioned by some. ... and in many situations like this, teams prefer to employ a clear No. 2 guy as the backup ... "clear'' meaning he's here to support the starter, not to compete with him.
Otherwise, the first time the starter (Hurts or most anybody else) has a bad game, the football world starts calling for him to be replaced. And the Eagles - who have put so many financial and emotional eggs in the Hurts basket - don't need another layer of controversy at the game's most important position.
The Bears own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and many expect them to select Caleb Williams, which potentially pushes Fields out of the picture. But the Eagles doing something here will require great clarity ... in part to make sure such a transaction doesn't push Jalen Hurts in the wrong direction.
