While the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to battle it out in the Super Bowl, the 30 other NFL teams are thinking about next year. Each one has huge questions to answer before the first round of the draft on April 25.
Maybe none have more questions to answer than that of the Chicago Bears who own the No. 1 and No. 9 picks in this year’s draft. Bears GM, Ryan Poles, has big decisions to make regarding what to do with those picks, specifically regarding former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
The Bears have options, but most see one of two scenarios playing out. Chicago could move forward with Fields as QB1 and trade the No. 1 overall pick for more draft capital. Or Poles could choose to trade Fields and use the No. 1 overall pick for another quarterback such as Caleb Williams.
What will happen is anyone’s guess at this point. Fields has shown glimpses of real potential at times and at other times the former Buckeye has looked indecisive and mediocre at best. To be fair, the talent surrounding Fields has been subpar and he’s had to adjust to multiple head coaches and offensive coordinators.
The pundits keep going back and forth, but the current consensus is that the Bears will trade Justin Fields and choose to start from scratch with a new quarterback. With that thinking in mind, what are the most likely landing spots for the former Ohio State QB? Let’s take a look.
Atlanta Falcons
Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons could work!
Bijan Robinson x Justin Fields 🔥
— MrSportsMoney (@MrSportsMoney) October 4, 2023
Why it makes sense
The Falcons might be the odds-on favorites to land Fields via trade. This would bring the Georgia native back home to a team that is in desperate need of a signal caller. The combination of Desmond Ridder (6-7) and Taylor Heinicke (1-3) just didn’t get the job done. The NFC South is wide open and Atlanta has some nice complimentary pieces already in place with Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers? 👀
• BalenODesigns/IG pic.twitter.com/0b7qA9jsDo
— Steelersonly (@steelersonlyy) January 21, 2024
Why it makes sense
Although Pittsburgh made it to the playoffs, the Steelers were another team that had trouble at the quarterback position. Mike Tomlin can’t rely on another Joe Flacco resurgence to carry the team in 2024. The question then becomes is Mason Rudolph, Mitch Trubisky, or Kenny Pickett the answer. Tubisksy, although a former No. 1 overall pick, is a journeyman. Rudolph has been mainly a career backup, and Pickett hasn’t been able to live up to his 2022 first-round draft selection. As with the Falcons, Pittsburgh has some nice pieces in place and would provide Fields with much of what he’s been missing in Chicago.
Las Vegas Raiders
WHY JUSTIN FIELDS SHOULD BE THE QUARTERBACK FOR THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS IN 2024 pic.twitter.com/KkbP1T6Rhf
— jarritos stan (@hoesluvjarritos) January 25, 2024
Why it makes sense
The Raiders are expected to bring Kliff Kingsbury on as the team’s new offensive coordinator. His offense fits more in line with a quarterback like Justin Fields than current Las Vegas QBs Jimmy Garoppalo and Aiden O’Connell. The Raiders had a much-improved defense ranking in the top 10 and have weapons in running back Josh Jacobs and receiver Davante Adams. Kingsbury’s offense with Fields under center would be a huge upgrade for Las Vegas.
Seattle Seahawks
Justin Fields when he sees that he’s been traded to the Seattle Seahawks pic.twitter.com/6G0Y66cMI7
— ً (@cloudpff) November 28, 2023
Why it makes sense
This one probably makes the least amount of sense considering that Seattle just invested a three-year $75 million contract in quarterback Gino Smith. If Seahawks management feels like Smith isn’t the future, then maybe Fields is an option. New head coach Mike Macdonald might want to have a say in the matter as well.
New England Patriots
Should the Patriots trade for Justin Fields?@Meghan_Ottolini says if he’s not good enough for Chicago, why should New England want him? pic.twitter.com/C0De3JMLjw
— Jones & Mego with Arcand (@JonesandMego) February 1, 2024
Why it makes sense
This one too feels like a long shot. It would be an interesting development to see Fields go to New England. There was speculation that the Patriots were hoping that Fields would fall to them at No. 15 in the 2021 NFL draft. However, that didn’t happen and the Pats chose Mac Jones. It seems that New England is ready to move in a new direction. Whether it would be willing to pay the price tag for Fields remains to be seen when the Patriots have many needs.
Our best guess ...
What might happen
The rumors regarding Justin Fields change almost daily. It seems to us it would make the most sense for the Bears to keep Fields and build around him to see what he can really do. However, the lure of shiny new things may be too much for Chicago to pass up. My gut tells me that Fields ends up in his home state with the Atlanta Falcons and gets a fresh start in familiar surroundings. Time will tell.
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