Another suitor has joined the Atlanta Falcons in pursuit of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. In fact, as the 2024 NFL Draft draws closer and closer, it would reportedly be a “surprise” if the 24-year-old is traded to the Falcons instead of elsewhere.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have emerged in the “conversation” on a trade for Fields, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“There’s been a lot of speculation on Atlanta,” Schefter reported Saturday on SportsCenter, per Nick Kosko of On3. “I think Atlanta will be something of a surprise right now to trade for Justin Fields. There’s been some conversation about the Pittsburgh Steelers, maybe something can be figured out there.”
Chicago is expected to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick on April 25th. General manager Ryan Poles recently indicated he’d like to trade Fields by the start of free agency on March 13th, though the trade market for the former first-round pick isn’t as “robust” as the Bears would like it to be—even with the Las Vegas Raiders also possessing potential interested in Fields, according to Schefter.
“The Las Vegas Raiders might have some interest,” he said, “but there’s not this huge number of teams lined up to trade for Justin Fields as the Bears look to find a home for him before free agency begins in about 10 days.”
Fields struggled for the most part amid Chicago’s disastrous season, failing to live up widespread promise shown in the latter half of his sophomore campaign. He did improve as 2023 rind wore on, though, finishing with 2,562 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4% of his throws. Fields also rushed for 653 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry while losing four fumbles.