The Pittsburgh Steelers have talked strongly about their faith in Kenny Pickett and wanting to re-sign Mason Rudolph, but that has not stopped the talk around Justin Fields from continuing. But according to Tony Pauline, that could be coming to an end soon, as the Bears are close to landing Fields for a second-round pick.
“Word in Indianapolis is the Chicago Bears are close to finalizing a deal which would send former first-round pick Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons,” Pauline said.
On an episode of Pardon My Take, Adam Schefter revealed that he believes it could cost multiple picks to land Fields.
“I think that Justin Fields compensation is somewhere between what Alex Smith got and what Sam Darnold got. A two and a four. A two and a five. A two and a three, something like that,” Schefter said.
Asked specifically about potentially trading for Fields, Omar Khan said that he would not get into specifics about the conversations he’s had around the league.
“I’m not gonna go into details about the conversations that we’ve had,” he said. “But like I mentioned earlier, I can tell you that I have an obligation to look at every avenue that’s out there to make us a better football team.”
Fields took a small step forward in 2023, his third year as Chicago’s starting quarterback. The 24-year-old Ohio State alum threw 370 times, completing 227 for 2,562 yards and 16 touchdowns. He threw nine interceptions and maintained an 86.3 passer rating and a 5.29 adjusted net yards per attempt.
Last season, he was 192 of 318 for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, an 85.2 quarterback rating and 4.63 adjusted net yards per attempt.
Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Bears — or another team, if he’s traded — must decide this offseason if they want to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract. That would be a guaranteed $25 million contract for 2025. The Bears or another club could also attempt to negotiate a traditional contract extension. But it seems like it is trending towards being Atlanta.