Conditions on Justin Fields Trade Draft Pick Revealed
Justin Fields will have to play a significant amount of snaps in for the Bears to cash in on the conditional fourth round pick.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ for Justin Fields is as cheap as can be right now, with just a 2025 sixth-round pick as the cost. However, there are conditional factors that could increase that return. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said that the parameters for that sixth-round pick becoming a fourth-round pick are simple — if Fields plays 51 percent or more of the snaps for the Steelers this season, the sixth-round pick becomes a fourth-round pick.
Reports came out directly after the trade that the team plans to start Russell Wilson, so Fields will either have to supplant Wilson or injuries would have to become a significant factor for him to reach that mark.
Now that the Steelers have acquired quarterback Justin Fields in a trade from the Bears, they will have until May 2 to decide on his fifth-year option.
Fields will play under the final season of his rookie contract in Pittsburgh in 2024, and he’s set to earn $3.233 million in the upcoming year. After that, it depends on what the Steelers and Omar Khan decide to do with his option. If the club declines it, Fields can become a free agent. If the Steelers pick it up, they’ll owe him $25.664 million, fully guaranteed in 2025.
The Steelers have other options. They can roll the dice with Fields and let him become a free agent at the end of the year. If he doesn’t start in 2024, he will be unlikely to land a huge deal on the free agent open market, and the Steelers may be able to afford to re-sign him.
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.
Justin Fields is entering the final year of his rookie contract and the Steelers 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 Steelers could negotiate a traditional contract extension.
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