Unexpected Justin Fields Trade Suitor Starting To Emerge

The Chicago Bears seem set on the path of taking a quarterback #1 overall this April. Caleb Williams is the heavy favorite for that honor. That means GM Ryan Poles must work to find Justin Fields a new home. All signs point to the fourth-year quarterback having a healthy market of interested teams. Atlanta and Pittsburgh appear to be the early favorites to acquire his services. However, history shows there will always be one or two unexpected suitors who enter the mix. That could be happening here.

Seth Walder of ESPN listed one off-season possibility he's hoping to happen. That is the Cleveland Browns making a run at Fields.

"The Browns trade for QB Justin Fields. This is a wild one, I know. But if I were the Browns, I would look at Deshaun Watson as mostly a sunk cost and try to upgrade at quarterback. With no first-round pick and so much money already heading Watson's way, this would be tough to do. But trading a second- or third-round pick for Fields (still on his rookie contract) is feasible, and I'd like to see Fields in Kevin Stefanski's offense."

It sounds unbelievable at first.

Cleveland is basically stuck with Watson's albatross of a contract. Unless they somehow find a way to trade it, they would have to bring in Fields as insurance against further health setbacks. Watson is already dealing with a shoulder issue that ended his 2023 season. However, something brewing might compel Cleveland to make the move. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed it.

"Three years ago next month, Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson faced an avalanche of lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions. Most of the cases have settled. In one of the lingering cases, Watson might have to testify again.

As explained by Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today, a motion to compel further testimony from Watson has been filed...

...Absent a settlement or a dismissal, the remaining claims against Watson will go to trial at some point. Although he has been suspended 11 games by the NFL for the allegations, the league has not completely ruled out the possibility of further punishment, given the evidence that could emerge in the remaining cases and/or the eventual verdicts."

In other words, it's possible Watson will miss more games via suspension. Cleveland survived last season because of a great defense and the unexpected resurgence of Joe Flacco. It might be wise to have a more long-term solution on the roster this time.

Justin Fields to Cleveland makes plenty of sense.

They have a ready-made roster with a good offensive line and weapons. Head coach Kevin Stefanski runs an offense similar to what Fields is familiar with from his time in Chicago. He'd have an excellent defense to lean on. Best of all, he'd be returning to the area where he turned himself into a star. Fields dominated at Ohio State for two years in college. No doubt Cleveland fans would embrace him coming home to play for their pro team. As always, the trickiest part will be the compensation.

The Browns have no 1st round pick this year. Their 2nd round pick will be on the lower side because they managed to make the playoffs. This means they would have to hope other teams don't offer 2nd rounders because it's a virtual certainty they would sit higher in the draft order. Cleveland would then have to package another pick to sweeten the pot. It comes down to how much they like the idea of Justin Fields. The logistics involved make this unlikely. Still, one can't rule it out.