The Justin Fields Trade Market Has Encountered A New Shift

For a time in the past few weeks, everybody was convinced Justin Fields was about to get traded. It made sense. The Chicago Bears seemed prepared to move on. Better to get him out the door quickly, provided a team made an offer GM Ryan Poles would be happy with. However, things appear to have changed in the past couple of days. The buzz around the idea of a deal being imminent has died. Why? It centers around the market not being as active as some believed. It appears there is a reason for this.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported in her latest column that the market for Fields is "soft" at the moment. This is primarily due to other teams waiting to see if they can make a run at the top free agent names like Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield.

As for their current quarterback, Bears decision-makers would like to make the call on Fields’ future before the NFL free agency window, which opens March 13. That’s what they prefer, but not necessarily what they will achieve. General manager Ryan Poles openly shared that he wants to “do right” by Fields and understands “no one wants to live in the gray area.”

The team spent most of the week gauging interest around the league to evaluate his value. The Bears may need movement in the veteran quarterback market, which includes Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield, before interested teams get into serious discussions with the Bears for Fields. Though I expect the demand for Fields to be robust, knowing teams like the Raiders, Broncos, Steelers and Falcons are all in search of a quarterback, it appears his market is soft for now. It was hard to find strong interest from any team.

This isn't a huge surprise.

Teams would much rather pay only money for players rather than money and draft picks. Cousins and Mayfield are more proven options. That said, there are more QB-needy teams than available options. It appears the Bears may decide to wait things out until those two find their homes. Whichever teams don't get them will have a tough decision to make: trade for Fields or take their chances in the draft. Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron confirmed this.

Justin Fields will have to wait.

Poles said he would prefer to reach a decision on the young quarterback sooner than later. Nobody likes to "live in the gray," as he put it. That said, the GM is also responsible for getting the best package possible for every trade asset. He has every right to wait if he feels the offers are too low for Fields. Remember, the Bears don't have to trade him. He costs less than $4 million this season. They could technically keep him. Time is on Poles' side more than anybody wants to admit. The fifth-year option isn't due until May 2nd. Plenty of time still remains.

Three years ago, the New York Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for 2nd, 5th, and 6th round picks. That deal came on April 5th. The Jets chose to wait until after the main waves of free agency had passed, and it paid off. Justin Fields is a far better option than Darnold was back then. This is why Poles has good reasons not to press the issue. Fields may not like that, preferring to get things done. Yet it isn't his call. This is a business decision, and Poles' first duty is doing what is best for the Bears.