Following the conclusion of the 2023 season that saw the Chicago Bears finish 7-10 but land the No. 1 overall pick due to a previous trade with the Carolina Panthers, Justin Fields knew his time in the Windy City was dwindling, especially with the Bears in position to land USC QB Caleb Williams.
With his time all but up in Chicago, Fields wanted to go to one place and one place only: Pittsburgh.
“It wasn’t really a shock (when I got traded). I knew what was going to happen beforehand,” Fields said to reporters, according to a tweet from The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.
Justin Fields said in his exit interview with the Bears he got the sense they were taking a QB and planning to move him.
“It wasn’t really a shock (when I got traded). I knew what was going to happen beforehand.”
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) May 21, 2024
Speaking with reporters Tuesday for the first time since the trade, Fields stated that he told his agent he wanted to be traded to Pittsburgh. But after the Steelers signed veteran Russell Wilson, he was unsure if that would still be a possibility.
Thanks to a Kenny Pickett trade request, Steelers GM Omar Khan was ultimately able to land the 2021 No. 11 overall pick from the Bears, sending a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to Chicago to acquire Fields.
“My agent gave me the heads up a couple days before that Kenny might be getting traded. When I heard that and saw it in real time, I kind of knew where I was going,” Fields said of the trade to the Steelers, according to a tweet from DeFabo.
Justin Fields said he "definitely thought the door was shut" on the Steelers when they acquired Russell Wilson.
"My agent gave me the heads up a couple days before that Kenny might be getting traded. When I heard that
and saw it in real time, I kind of knew where I was going."— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) May 21, 2024
Speaking for the first time since the trade, Justin Fields said he told his agent he wanted to be in Pittsburgh, but he thought the door shut on the Steelers when the team signed Russell Wilson. Fields’ agent let him know soon after that Pickett may be traded, keeping Pittsburgh…
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 21, 2024
Now a member of the Steelers, a place he wanted to be following his time in Chicago, Fields is happy to be in the Black and Gold, getting a chance to learn under not only Tomlin, but also alongside Wilson, a quarterback he models his game after.
He’s also appreciative of Bears GM Ryan Poles, who did right by Fields, turning down better offers to send Fields to the best spot possible for his development, like a stable organization in Pittsburgh.
“Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be, so he honored that and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able to put me in a spot where I wanted to be at,” Fields said, thanking his former GM for sending him to Pittsburgh, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
Ryan Poles said he wanted to “do right” by Justin Fields.
Fields, today: “Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be, so he honored that and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able…
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 21, 2024
Though he is behind Wilson on the depth chart in Pittsburgh, Fields stated to reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t have the mindset of sitting all season and that he’s looking forward to competing and learning from Wilson.
There are debates that continue regarding his time in Chicago now compared to how the Bears are operating with Williams in the fold. Those are debates Fields doesn’t want any part of; he’s just grateful to be a Steeler, which is where he wanted to be all along once he knew the Bears were going in a different direction.
“I’m not going to harp on the past. It is what it is. It’s in the past,” Fields said to reporters, according to video via DeFabo on Twitter. “I’m here now, and I’m grateful to be here, grateful to be part of this team.
Asked about his tenure in Chicago, Justin Fields said there were “a lot of ups and downs” but took the high road when asked if the team put him in the best situation: pic.twitter.com/ph0IqzyLZJ
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) May 21, 2024
