The only place Justin Fields wanted to be if he was traded from the Chicago Bears in the offseason was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fortunately for Fields and his career, the Bears obliged him and did right by the 2021 first-round pick.
But it’s not as if they didn’t have other options for a Fields trade.
Fields, who appeared on the latest episode of the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast, stated that three other teams called about a trade before he ultimately landed with the Steelers.
Those three teams? The Los Angeles Charges, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Baltimore Ravens.
“I’m not sure of all the teams, but you know, there were a lot of teams that had already had solidified quarterbacks there,” Fields said of other teams that had interest, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And I didn’t wanna be…I think Chargers was one, Ravens was another.
“Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don’t know too much. But a lot of the teams, they already had solidified quarterbacks, and they just got new contracts, so I wasn’t really trying to be there, ’cause I kind of know how that shakes out.”
Throughout much of the offseason as a potential Fields trade from the Bears, who owned the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, dragged out, there were concerns that maybe the NFL viewed Fields a certain way and didn’t exactly want him. Of course, the Raiders were always a team tied to him, but it’s rather interesting that the Chargers and the Ravens were two teams that reportedly called about him, especially with Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson as the quarterbacks already established there.
Looking deeper though, it makes sense. Fields would have been a great fit in offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s scheme in Los Angeles and would have been a great insurance policy behind Jackson in Baltimore due to similar styles.
The Ravens angle makes even more sense considering they lost Tyler Huntley this offseason in free agency and had only Josh Johnson on the roster at the time as a backup to Jackson.
Ultimately the Bears did right by Fields, reportedly turning down better offers to trade him to the place he wanted to go, which was Pittsburgh. Even after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson in free agency to a one-year deal, it gave Fields the chance to land in a stable organization and come in and compete, rather than being behind a highly paid, established quarterback elsewhere.
It seemingly has all worked out, not only for Fields but the Steelers too. Pittsburgh is off to a 3-0 start with Fields under center, the Ohio State product having played his best game to date in the Black and Gold against — ironically — the Chargers last Sunday.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” featuring Fields below.
