Likely Return For A Justin Fields Trade Revealed

Justin Fields isn't under any illusions. He knows he must play better down the stretch of this season. The noise about his job security is getting louder. The Chicago Bears are projected to secure a top-3 pick in the 2024 draft. That makes the odds of them drafting a new quarterback likely. The only way that doesn't happen is if Fields can work some magic over the final seven games. He must play with consistency and find a way to win some games. None of those things have happened since he arrived in Chicago two years ago.

If he can't pull it off, then the question becomes what fate awaits him next year. Most believe it is probable GM Ryan Poles will trade Fields to a team interested in giving him a fresh opportunity. The quarterback, for all his faults, has flashed lots of potential. With so few quarterbacks in the 2024 draft to go around, it isn't crazy to think some teams might prefer to roll the dice on him. Bill Barnwell of ESPN believes that will be the case. He even has a good idea of what the Bears might get in return.

"The Bears wouldn't have much leverage in making a Fields trade, given that other teams around the league would know they were moving on, but we've seen this situation before. When the Jets were about to draft quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, they dealt Sam Darnold to the Panthers for second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Panthers picked up Darnold's fifth-year option, a move that seemed foolish when they benched him during his first season with the team. Carolina eventually paid Darnold about $23.7 million for 17 middling starts. Fields would probably net the Bears a similar return."

The Bears can wait out the Justin Fields market.

They have him under contract for one more year. The deadline for a team to pick up the 5th-year option on that deal is May 2nd. That means it would be wise for any organization interested to get a trade done before then. Such a return for Chicago would wipe out what they lost in the trade for Montez Sweat last month. The Bears currently have seven picks in the 2024 draft, including two 1st rounders. Two or three additional picks would give Poles the usual flexibility he prefers.

Justin Fields is the one who controls this scenario now. He's back from his dislocated thumb. There are seven games left. He doesn't need to win them all, but he does have to keep the Bears competitive. He also can't afford some of his usual games where he finishes with under 150 yards passing. The organization expected progress from him. There hasn't been enough. His window to change that is closing. Otherwise, the odds are high that he will get shipped to a new team by next summer.