Will a superstar’s departure help the Green Bay Packers dominate an AL Rival?
What the Chicago Bears will do with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is one of the major questions. We think we have a solution now, and it entails trading Justin Fields.
Fields unfollowed the Bears on social media, which is a common indicator that change is on the way. This is the modern-day equivalent of the canary in the coal mine. In this instance, it implies that Chicago will select Caleb Williams of USC or DrakeMaye of North Carolina with the first choice and use that quarterback going forward as their franchise quarterback.
Fields is now the only player left on the trading block. A mysterious athlete who, at moments, appears to be the NFL’s next great quarterback and, at other times, as though he hardly belongs in the game. More often than not, Fields is a victim of circumstance; ever since the Bears selected him in the 2021 draft, he has never fully aligned with the coaching philosophy, and as a result, his performance has suffered.
That offers a rare chance for a team in need of a quarterback: an opportunity to acquire a 24-year-old starter who might end up becoming a franchise player for a small portion of the money needed to select a quarterback out of the draft. These teams ought to seriously consider Field, since the asking price is probably not much more than a second round choice at this time.
Falcons of Atlanta
This is a unique chance for Atlanta to start over. Although they didn’t make a terrible choice in selecting Kyle Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft, it was a poor one given their lack of a quarterback.
In this scenario, Atlanta native Justin Field makes his way back home and gets to play in his hometown. The Falcons have everything they need to make a significant advancement. Because of their defense and variety of attacking weapons, they were 7–10 a year ago, and adding Fields to the mix may really send them over the top. For the rest of the NFL, a hypothetical combination of skill players like Fields, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Pitts might be terrifying; also, Fields can easily surpass Desmond Ridder’s bar right away just by being “better than him.”
Zac Robinson, Atlanta’s new offensive coordinator, is a wild card. Robinson, who has spent his entire coaching career with the Rams, is joining the Falcons. There are also doubts about his ability to exhibit the offensive inventiveness required to release Fields to his full potential after playing for a club that relied heavily on Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff as their static passers. This may be a very exceptional fit for Robinson if he can implement a scheme that plays to Fields’ abilities. This is his first real chance to lead the offensive side of the ball.
LINKED
Speculate on Justin Fields’s upcoming destination at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Raiders of Las Vegas
The Raiders’ entire campaign last year was a complete failure. In an attempt to get over their setback, they cut Derek Carr and signed Jimmy Garoppolo, but this just made matters worse. Jimmy G is currently facing a ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, which may result in his departure from the team.
NEWEST VIDEO FROM SB COUNTRY
We should take a close look at the 49ers’ desperate need for another game-winning play.
00:02
16:08
The date is January 14, 2012. We are in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The 49ers need a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, down three, and facing a third down to maintain their hopes of making the playoffs without having to go to OT. In the meantime, the Saints can draw a conclusion from this and move on to the NFC Championship Game. We need to look back in time to comprehend how we got here and to fully appreciate what this moment signifies.
VIEW MORE VIEW LESS
Trading for Fields would be a highly flashy move, and the Raiders love dramatic moves. There may be something to this when you consider the offensive talent in Vegas that includes Josh Jacobs, Davante Adams, and Michael Mayer.
Here, there is a massive “but,” and that is the offensive coordinator. Antonio Pierce, the new head coach, made the decision to bring in former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy from the Bears, who failed miserably to come up with an idea that worked for Fields. Better offensive weaponry could change that, but it might also be the main reason a deal falls through.
The worst thing the Raiders could do would be to trade for Fields without a solid plan, and it’s doubtful that Getsy has a viable, unambiguous route ahead.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
Are the Steelers prepared to let Kenny Pickett go? They ought to be. In the quarterback-starved 2022 NFL Draft, Pickett was a terrible reach in the first round, and he has done all in his power to support the belief that he wasn’t worth the selection.
Since coming, Pickett has either been injured or ineffectual. Notably, he was let to ride the pine to allow Mason Rudolph to score a run upon his return from injury. Pittsburgh is now in a situation where it could be time to make some changes.
Although it may seem premature to make a change, Fields is already younger than Pickett. It’s not as simple as switching from a young to an experienced player. Arthur Smith, who will be far better as offensive coordinator for the Steelers than he was as head coach in Atlanta, is another intriguing addition to the team.
Smith has a propensity to be risk-averse, but pressure from his position as head coach may have played a part in that. He might be more inclined to open it up now that he’s back in a more familiar offensive coordinator role, and the Patriots have two receivers who look suited to flourish under center like Fields. Fields is a guy who can rip a good deep ball, and both Diontae Johnson and George Pickens are excellent deep-threat receivers who know how to get open.
This is an opportunity to develop an offense along the lines of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, where the run is employed to pick up short gains and is interspersed with home run plays. This might be a truly wonderful fit for all parties involved.
Minnesota Vikings
In the NFC North, would the Chicago Bears trade Justin Fields? Are the Vikings prepared to let go of Kirk Cousins? These are the two unanswered questions that hang over a possible agreement, making it appear unlikely to happen at best.
Nevertheless, there is some justification for bringing Fields to Minnesota. As you can see by their current roster makeup, they have a quarterback that is heavily supported, starting with Justin Jefferson, who is the top receiver in the NFL. Fields has badly missed Jefferson’s ability to improve his quarterback since joining the NFL. Jefferson has a unique receiving skill.
When it comes to implementing a Sean McVay, “traditional passer” scheme with Kevin O’Connell and Wes Philips leading the offense—both of whom got their start with the Rams—there’s reluctance comparable to that of the Falcons, but there’s something interesting to consider.
Massive plays made by big-armed quarterbacks like Randall Cunningham and Duante Culpepper to Randy Moss led to some of the Vikings’ greatest seasons ever. Fields is a middle-class person who isn’t exactly like either of those guys. This is an opportunity to modernize nostalgia in a way that will appeal to a wide audience.
All of this is presuming that the group is ready to let Cousins walk and take the lead. Said simply, it’s not easily done.
In a deal, what could Chicago possibly obtain?
Everything is dependent on the state of the market. If teams have sufficient faith in him, there is a very real possibility that we will witness a bidding battle involving multiple teams. Without a doubt, the focus will be on the secondary picks Chicago receives in addition to a 2024 second round pick, which seems like a fair starting place for an offer, rather than pushing the offer into the first round. From there, adding a fourth or fifth looks realistic.
This may drop to a conditional choice in the third or later round, with play escalators that might potentially bring it back up, if the market is soft or teams aren’t convinced that Fields is better than Bo Nix and Michael Penix, the third tier of quarterbacks in 2024.
