With actual reports of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ interest in QB Russell Wilson, it seems like the links to QB Justin Fields have fallen out of discussion among the national media. There have been reports stating the Steelers do not have interest, but there were several reports that stated the same on Wilson just days ago. Per ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there isn’t a lot of movement on the Fields front for the Chicago Bears, which could lead to a diminished return if they trade him.
“They did not find the market they were hoping to find for Fields,” Graziano wrote in an ESPN+ article Sunday morning. “The idea that Chicago could get a second-round pick for Fields no longer seems likely, but it’s always possible that one of these QB-needy teams will get panicky once other options fly off the board.”
He also suggests that the Bears could wait because of the overall lack of interest. There are several dominoes to fall including Wilson, Kirk Cousins, and Baker Mayfield. With those circumstances likely changing in the coming days, a market could quickly heat up for Fields.
The lower his trade value gets, the more likely a team is to pounce on the opportunity. The former first-round quarterback has struggled overall in Chicago, but how much of that has to do with the team around him?
He is 10-28 as the starter in his first three seasons and is averaging one fumble per game with 38 in his career. Pair that with his 30 interceptions, and it paints the picture of a QB with ball-security issues. Kenny Pickett has his warts, but one thing he has been exceptional at is protecting the football. The Steelers prefer that style of play, as evidenced by their quickly moving on from Mitch Trubisky last season after three games (two starts) with five total interceptions.
“Right now, the message the Bears are getting back from teams is that they don’t consider Fields more of a sure thing than other potential one-year options such as Sam Darnold or Drew Lock, who wouldn’t come with the fifth-year option decision that Fields’ eventual team will have to make by early May,” Graziano wrote.
Whichever team acquires him will be parting with draft capital, although potentially not as much as initially thought, and it will also have to quickly decide if it wants to commit to him for 2025. The fifth-year option amount for him is $25,664,000, per Over The Cap.
One of the main reasons many thought Justin Fields was off the table for the Steelers was their apparent commitment to Pickett. The legitimate interest in Wilson dispels that narrative and opens up a can of worms for possibilities at the quarterback position.
