Even just three games into the next chapter of his football career, former NFL head coach Rex Ryan isn’t holding back on the bargain the Pittsburgh Steelers got from the Chicago Bears. With QB Justin Fields playing well and poised to remain the team’s starter, Ryan thinks this is an all-time swindle.
“This quarterback. I mean, I don’t wanna say it, but this might go down as one of the greatest trades in the history of the National Football League,” Ryan said of Fields on ESPN’s NFL Countdown Sunday morning. “They got him for a sixth round pick. You got a future franchise quarterback for a sixth round pick.”
Holding the No. 1 overall pick with eyes on USC QB Caleb Williams, it wasn’t a question of if the Bears would trade Fields. It was a matter of to who and for how much. His value ended up being far lower than most anticipated. Once believed to fetch a second-round selection, Fields was met by a cool trade market and ultimately dealt for a conditional 2025 sixth round pick.
It’ll become a fourth rounder should Fields play 51-percent of the offense’s snaps this season, something he’s on track to do.
But fourth or sixth rounder, it’s a great deal for Pittsburgh. A team who didn’t intend on trading for Fields until Kenny Pickett asked his way out of town, swinging the door open for a deal with Chicago. It was the place Fields wanted to go and Bears GM Ryan Poles was amenable enough to send him to the Steelers. Fields has thrived in a stronger organization with a better culture, more stability, and an elite defense.
While Rex Ryan’s words are still hyperbolic for a quarterback three games with his new team and still not someone viewed as a top-five quarterback in football, the Steelers have found ways to win their most consequential trades. They won the Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Chase Claypool deals and seem to be coming out well-ahead in the Fields’ trade.
