The Pittsburgh Steelers have set the NFL world abuzz on what’s normally a quiet weekend reserved for college basketball and forming March Madness brackets. But to former quarterback and current ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III, the real madness is how little the Chicago Bears received for QB Justin Fields.
Reacting to the Fields trade to the Steelers, Griffin tweeted out Saturday evening his belief that Pittsburgh “robbed” Chicago, giving up just a 2025 conditional sixth-round pick.
“This is what we call BIG BANK take little bank,” Griffin, in part, tweeted.
Pittsburgh’s 2024 draft capital isn’t touched in this deal. The conditional sixth-round pick will become a fourth if Fields logs 51 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps in 2024. With Russell Wilson slated to start for Pittsburgh, odds are currently against Fields reaching that mark, meaning the Steelers could have one of the NFL’s top backup quarterbacks for a late-day three pick next season.
According to a Monday morning report, the Bears turned down a stronger offer to send Fields to Pittsburgh. The rationale was to do “right” by Fields and give him a better chance to play somewhere than send him to the highest bidder, who reportedly had an established quarterback in place.
No matter the reason, Pittsburgh makes a low-risk move in acquiring Fields. Given the limited capital, the Steelers have no obligation to pick up his fifth-year option, which is due by May 2. They can let Wilson and Fields play the year out, see how each performs (and how much Fields plays), and make a decision on their future next offseason.
If this turns out to be another robbery, it won’t be the first time Pittsburgh’s easily won a trade. Nor the first with Chicago. The Steelers proved to be big winners of the 2022 deal, sending WR Chase Claypool for a second-round pick. The Bears received almost no production from Claypool, who was then dealt to the Miami Dolphins a year later, while the Steelers used their selection on CB Joey Porter Jr., now the team’s top cornerback.
Pittsburgh’s rebuilt its quarterback room, making it better while utilizing almost zero resources. Wilson was signed for the veteran minimum. Fields was dealt for the most minor of trade value. And the Steelers may finally get what they’ve been looking for: a competent passing game that can put points on the board.
