Chicago traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick in March. One anonymous NFL executive told The Athletic that they "gave up" on the transaction.
They almost got bullied or gave up,” an executive told The Athletic. “When the seats filled, they had to lower their asking price, which was probably too high. I don't understand why you'd make that trade because if someone gets hurt or doesn't get the quarterback they wanted, the ask will be higher.”
Fields' return proved disappointing for the Bears. The Bears were reportedly expected to trade Fields for a second-round or Day 2 pick. The Bears didn't trade away their assets carelessly. ESPN said that the Bears received "at least one better offer" for Fields from a team with a guaranteed starter.
They wanted Fields in the ideal position. Ryan Poles assured the media at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Bears would "do right by" Fields if traded. That means what? It has multiple meanings. It meant trading him as soon as possible, preferably before NFL free agency on March 13. Second, that meant sending him to his preferred team.
The Bears fulfilled those conditions by dealing him to the Steelers, one of his four favorite destinations, on March 16. Other teams were Vikings, Falcons, and Raiders. Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, and Russell Wilson, free-agent quarterbacks, harmed the Bears' Fields return. With the Falcons and Steelers, Fields preferred Cousin and Wilson as starters.
Past the draft and into training camp, the Bears may have checked for fourth-year signal caller openings. That could've raised Fields' worth, providing the Bears a better return.
They did Fields right by finding him a new home he liked with time to prepare for the season. They also sent him to the Steelers to challenge Wilson if he falters as the starter or the team doesn't renew his one-year contract.
It's not like the Bears were "bullied" in the trade market for Fields. They wanted the best for their quarterback, who might have stayed in Chicago if they hadn't drafted Caleb Williams first.
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