The Bears are trading Justin Fields to the Steelers in exchange for a sixth-round pick that could turn into a fourth-round pick based on playtime, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ryan Poles promised to do right by Justin Fields this offseason, and it appears that he has made good on that promise. According to Ian Rapoport, the Bears had several offers for Fields this offseason, but sent him to Pittsburgh because that’s what Fields preferred.
“I would say when I was younger, like maybe eighth, ninth grade, it was more Cam Newton. But I would say these past couple years I’ve kind of turned more to a Russell Wilson-type quarterback,” Fields said right after the Bears drafted him in 2021. “I’ve watched a lot of film on him. I’ve watched a lot of highlights on him, so I think the things that we can do on the field with both of those quarterbacks, I think we have a lot of similarities between extending plays with our legs and also having the arm talent. So I think those are a couple of guys that I kind of emulate my game after.”
“I’ve always looked up to him,” Fields said about Wilson later in 2021. “The kind of person he is on the field and off the field. He’s a great quarterback and a great person.”
It’s no surprise to hear that Fields wanted to join the Steelers to play behind Russell Wilson (assuming he didn’t have any opportunities to start). Fields modeled his game after Wilson, so now he’ll have the opportunity to learn from Wilson himself.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told Fields that he’ll begin the year as Wilson’s backup, per Albert Breer. But the Bears will want Fields to take over as the starter at some point next year. According to multiple reports, the 2025 sixth-round draft pick that the Bears received from Pittsburgh will turn into a 2025 fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of the Steelers’ snaps.
Even if Fields spends the whole year as a backup this year, there’s a chance he rebuilds his image enough to compete for a starting job in 2025. That’s what fellow former Bears first-round pick Mitch Trubisky did across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. After the Bears decided to roll with Fields, Trubisky signed on with the Bills to backup Josh Allen. One season later, the Steelers (again) made Trubisky their starter.
