ESPN's Jeremy Fowler Reveals 4 Teams In The Hunt For Justin Fields

Nothing has happened yet on the Justin Fields front. Everybody presumes the Chicago Bears quarterback is getting traded at this point. It is only a matter of when and where. Thus far, the market hasn't been moving much. The general belief is because teams prefer to explore the free agent market first, seeing if they can land one of the two big fish, Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. However, not everybody will be able to reel them in. The focus will return to Fields at some point, and the Bears likely know this.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had an update on the situation. While he did say the start of free agency is the preferred deadline to get something done, it isn't one the Bears feel desperate to wrap up. They don't fear hanging onto Fields to see if the market ramps up after the market opens. If Cousins and Mayfield go to the right teams, it could force others into desperation mode. Fowler believes four teams could become heavily involved in talks under the right conditions.

"The major quarterback domino that many are waiting to fall is Chicago's Justin Fields decision. Chicago has not played its hand, and several league sources believe Fields -- who has not requested a trade -- could probably garner a Day 2 pick in a potential deal. There's no firm deadline on a trade, though the start of free agency is sort of a soft one. Chicago will need multiple teams in the fray to drive a market, and after asking around, I expect Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Minnesota to be on the radar."

Justin Fields' fate may come down to a simple thing.

That is whether any team puts a 2nd round pick on the table for him. Current rumblings suggest teams aren't going that high, at least not yet. It has been staying in the 3rd round range. The Bears are understandably not keen on giving him away for that much. Not yet. Sam Darnold fetched 2nd, 5th, and 6th round picks. If he can command that much, Fields should be able to get at least the same. Darnold didn't go until early April, so it stands to reason the Bears can wait this thing out. There will be at least two or three teams who are faced with the obvious dilemma.

Trade for Justin Fields or take your chances in the draft. Are they willing to strap the future of their franchise to the likes of Bo Nix or Michael Penix? Maybe, but the odds don't favor that possibility. Fields may not be perfect, but he's shown progress over the past year. He is still only 24 and remains an elite athlete. Some coaches will convince themselves they can "fix" the young quarterback and urge the organization to make the trade. That is when the Bears will likely get the offer they're looking for.