Bears doomsday device: What a Justin Fields trade would look like
The two-year marriage of Justin Fields and the Bears should not dissolve this offseason, but some pundits think they should entertain a deal. Here’s what a potential trade could look like.
What the Chicago Bears choose to do at the quarterback position this offseason will probably elicit reactions like, “Why in the world would they do that?” or “That’s such a Bears thing to do.”
It doesn’t matter what the decision actually is. Chicago could trade Justin Fields or trade the No. 1 overall pick. Anyone with half a football mind will likely have a polarizing opinion on the Bears’ offseason drama, and one prominent NFL analyst recently gave his two cents on what Chicago should do with Fields.
ESPN’s Mike Tannebaum compared Fields to Alabama’s Bryce Young and made a bold claim that the team would be “better off” trading Fields and taking Young with the No. 1 overall pick.
Tannebaum notes that the Bears could receive a first-round pick for Fields, but in truth, Chicago should receive much more, as any trade for Fields should reasonably start at two first round picks and go from there.
Justin Fields trade rumors: ESPN analyst stokes the flames of fateful Bears offseason decision
An interested suitor may have to give up two firsts to start; given Chicago’s many roster needs, a team wanting to trade for Fields could also throw in a talented youngster to sweeten the pot.
This isn’t Zach Wilson they’re trading for — it’s Justin Fields, who enjoyed a significant Year 2 jump in which he passed for 2,242 yards and added 1,143 yards on the ground. More so than any quarterback in his class, the 2021 No. 11 overall pick showed remarkable resilience and the ability to command the Bears’ shorthanded passing game.
While Mike Tannebaum touches upon the respective strengths of both Justin Fields and Bryce Young in his claim that the team should make a trade, he ignores the moderately-sized elephant in the room: trading for Young would bring this organization back to square one.
Chicago has failed to shore up their wide receiver unit for too many years to count, making only a small splash for Pittsburgh Steelers’ Chase Claypool in 2022. Tight end Cole Kmet finished the season as the Bears’ No. 1 receiver in total yardage (544 yards) followed by Darnell Mooney and Equanimeous St. Brown, and those players pose as only mid-level targets who can’t provide Fields/ Young/ whoever is the Bears’ starting quarterback the support he needs to succeed.
Look at what Stefon Diggs did for Josh Allen’s career, or what Justin Jefferson did for Kirk Cousins. Trading Fields would force the Bears to rebuild the foundation from the ground up, as opposed to keeping him and opting to simply remodel the house instead.
The only way a Fields trade could truly work in Chicago’s favor is if, along with a bevy of draft picks, the Bears also get a proven young player at a premium position, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin.
Then again, that’s just one opinion of many.
