It took a minute, but the Chicago Bears finally found a place where quarterback Justin Fields was willing to play.
That would be no less than with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Fields was traded over the weekend. Before that, he reportedly exercised his right to block a trade. Or four of them, to be exact.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, four teams asked about Fields before he was actually dealt, and he said no to all of them. The four teams weren't specified.
All we know, per Rapoport, was that Fields' camp "asked for him not to be traded" to the four losers, as he supposedly only "wanted the Steelers."
Now, Fields will back up Russell Wilson, who the Steelers landed as a free agent. But just like the Bears with Fields, the Denver Broncos were just fine with letting Wilson go elsewhere. In fact, Denver is still paying $37 million. So they are paying him $37 million to play for somebody else. That's how little the Broncos think of Wilson.
Things weren't much different for Chicago and Fields.
Important note on the Justin Fields trade: At least four additional teams inquired about trading for Fields, but Fields? representation asked for him not to be traded there. He wanted the #Steelers, and the #Bears did right by him. https://t.co/jE65yV0jzm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2024
Fields spent just two seasons with the Bears after they made him the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. That was long enough for them to know they didn't really like what they saw. Chicago is expected to take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick this year — so there was no sense in keeping Fields.
All they landed in return was a sixth-rounder, but again, that's about what the Bears felt Fields was worth.
"Justin Fields is a special human being. I wish him the very best. But he isn't an NFL passer or franchise QB," wrote longtime NFL insider Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly. "He can't read the field or make decisions fast enough and his accuracy is below average. Only 1 team would pay as much as a 6th round pick? That's the player he is."
