Sounds Like The Market For Justin Fields May Be Stronger Than Expected

A few notable Chicago Bears insiders have offered strong indications this might be Justin Fields' last season with the team. GM Ryan Poles hasn't made any proclamations one way or the other, but based on the available evidence, there is a strong sense Fields will end up elsewhere via trade while the Bears use what will likely be the #1 overall pick to get their next quarterback. If that happens, experts believe they should get somewhere in the vicinity of a 2nd round pick for his services. However, not all cases are created equal.

NFL Notifications is an X (Twitter) handle that has dropped surprisingly accurate information over the past year. So when it revealed a new rumor about the Fields situation, it was hard to ignore. It seems the market for Fields might be stronger than anticipated, enough to where a 1st round pick might be on the table. Several teams will go into the 2024 off-season needing a quarterback. Not all of them will be able to take one in the 1st round. That means they either take their chances on a later pick, sign from a lackluster list of free agents, or dabble in the trade market. Five teams were listed as expected contenders for him.

• Falcons
• Broncos
• Saints
• Raiders
• Steelers

Justin Fields still has plenty of appeal.

He has another year of his rookie contract remaining. His talent remains among the most unique in the entire sport. The flashes have been there. It wouldn't be hard for an organization to convince themselves that getting him in their building could magically fix all his problems. Remember, Sam Darnold went for a 2nd round pick and two Day 3 picks. Fields has played far better than he ever did in New York and is a superior talent. Presuming Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield stay with their respective teams before hitting free agency, the only viable name on the market will be Russell Wilson since Denver expects to cut him.

Not ideal. Teams may start thinking a mid-1st round pick is an acceptable price to pay for Justin Fields. As everybody knows, the quarterback market is unpredictable. Nobody knows for sure what the Bears will do with Fields. Poles has done an excellent job of keeping people guessing. If a trade is the plan, then he will have a market. From there, it becomes a question of how good of a negotiator the Bears' general manager is. He's pulled off some unexpected deals before. This would certainly rank up there.