Seems like a bigger news item worthy of a thread. This ends any speculation the Bears would stick with Fields and grab a receiver at #1 (extremely unlikely) or that they would trade back from #1.
Bears trade Fields to Pittsburgh for 6th rounder (potentially 4th)
- Thread starter NomarsFool
- Start date
I never understood why people thought they'd get more than that. It was pretty clear the majority of his career that he is kind of a shitty QB.
Wait, so the Steelers signed Russ Wilson to a one year contract and have now traded for Fields who is on the last year of his rookie contract? How is this going to work out? WTF is their plan, play both of them and figure out who to resign? That seems like a terrible plan, seems sort of Ready, Fire, Aim...
They signed Russ to be their starter, they then swapped Pickett for the higher upside Fields and came out slightly ahead on draft picks. If Russ is good you got a backup QB upgrade and a pick upgrade. If Russ is bad you can play Fields and see if you want to extend him.
Either way they gave up basically nothing and raised their ceiling. Plus will get an extra top 100 pick in what looks like a good draft. It's a nice sequence of moves.
I think that’s a tough argument to make. The potential for Fields to result in a 4th instead of a 6th seems much more valuable to me than the relative value of the two 6ths.
Thanks, that makes sense. It was difficult to wrap my head around bringing in two 'starting QBs' but I missed the Pickett trade and draft picks, which is the lynch pin of this.
There is a lot of value going totally understated there in getting a full 1 year in-house look at Fields, and without having to marry yourself into anything in the process. Especially for a team in search of an adequate level of upgraded QB play like the Steelers.
If they like what they see close up on Fields they can go from there. Not everything has to be about being forever stuck looking 5 moves ahead and/or desperately needing to see the potential to hit on a Grand Slam outcome.
There’s value in getting a look at Fields but they just guaranteed a locker room problem with one of their QBs. Wilson just signed there to re establish value and Fields has an enormous amount of money on the line. One of those guys isn’t going to be playing and they’re not liable to be remotely ok with it
6th this year is generally valued at a 5th next. If Fields starts he will return more, but for now the return is lower
Last edited:
I think dragging their feet and waiting until after the free agency frenzy period to pull the trigger on this might have been a bad hand play by Chicago here.
We already know Russ is the starter. Tomlin already clarified it, and made it a point to stress Fields knew that coming in.
This isn't a scrub organization here. It's one of the most stable and best run ones in football. That's all more of a bad team in NY kind of concern. I don't see it playing out to be an issue there. Russ will get his fair shot as promised and that stuff will all work itself out. Fields by all accounts is a standup kid. He's not going drama queen on that locker room.
So Pickett went from Pittsburg to Philadelphia; I don't get it, Pickett has never done well in PA.
Man, I heard someone on an NFL network podcast say they thought 2 second round picks is something the Bears might get. This was a few weeks ago. Does everyone suck at their job?
So Pickett was pissed he was going to be a backup to someone, then gets traded somewhere where the guy in front of him is even better. The Fields, who some (not a lot) were guessing that he could go to a team looking for a starting QB and gets sent somewhere where he’ll be the backup from day one.
Painful few days for those guys
Painful few days for those guys
I almost respect that Pickett screwed himself on the principal of not wanting to play for a coach he felt lied to him.
At least for Fields he gets out of a poorly run org that hasn't developed a quarterback since the Reagan administration. Half decent chance that Wilson gets hurt or gets pulled and he still gets his shot.
I wonder if they did a documentary series on the Steelers how many negative things they could share about them. Seems like Pickett, at least, wouldn't be super complimentary.
I agree 100%. This is exactly what I wanted the Patriots to do, but I don't think it was ever going to happen. The Steelers situation is light-years ahead of the current Patriots situation, and being that money was irrelevant in Wilson's case, it just made zero sense for Wilson to pick NE.
I would loved to have been in that position on draft day, if the QB they love is there at 3, they could still take him, but could easily trade down with confidence if he wasn't.
Hypothetical Patriots situations aside, this was some good business all around by the Steelers.
I don't know. They basically moved from one ring of QB purgatory to another. Wilson could be, and likely is, cooked. Fields needs game reps and now will likely not get them this year, then he'll need a new contract and will want to start. I think Pitt did OK given it's options, but they also gave up on Pickett two years in, which admits a draft mistake, and lost him at low cost for two more seasons (one more than Fields) when he couldn't coexist with Wilson. I get Fields or Wilson for them, but not both, especially if they already basically named Wilson the starter.
Pats have a whole different set of options. They can get entirely out of QB purgatory with the third pick.
I thought this was the other way round, in that you would trade this year's X round pick for next year's X-1 pick (e.g. 2024 4th yields a 2025 3rd).
I am looking and it's not clear to me anyways. How much is Pittsburgh paying for their quarterbacks now? They maybe in dangerous fields.
Edit: I now see it's > $6 million Steelers will be paying the two qbs before any incentives. Both Qbs need a year to prove themselves for a payday next year. Unless one gets injured, I don't see either one quietly sitting the bench come December and the team is in 3 or 4th place. it just seems an odd pairing.
Edit: I now see it's > $6 million Steelers will be paying the two qbs before any incentives. Both Qbs need a year to prove themselves for a payday next year. Unless one gets injured, I don't see either one quietly sitting the bench come December and the team is in 3 or 4th place. it just seems an odd pairing.
Last edited:
People seem to forget that PIT brought in Arthur Smith to be OC and traded their #1B WR. It will be a surprise if they average 250yds passing per game. Fields will likely run some RPO packages because Arthur Smith loves running the ball, then running some more. He probably owes 80% of his career earnings to Derrick Henry. Neither QB should be happy if they want a second contract. This offense will run through the RBs as all Smith offenses do.
No one wanted him as their starter. Anyone assuming they would get more for him assumed someone would start him. It was a fine line to walk.
Sure it is an odd pairing, but what other choice do you have if you're the Steelers? Maybe Russell Wilson and/or Fields benefit from a change of scenery. They aren't in a position to draft a top QB. Who else could they trade for? This is the NFL in 2024. You either have a top tier QB or you are in some form of purgatory hoping you catch a break with a free agent or draft pick.
The Titans averaged nearly 500 pass attempts per season from 2019-2021 with Henry as their lead back.
Last edited:
They hired Smith with the explicit purpose of running the ball more. I can’t imagine Wilson or anyone else isn’t aware of this. Specific comparisons to past workplaces notwithstanding, I guess we’ll have to see how he fares in a run-heavy offense.
Omar Khan came into free agency with only Pickett and left with Wilson and Fields for mere peanuts and still all his cap space and draft picks to improve positions of need. Call me crazy but he turned garbage into gold. Even if it doesn’t work out, he’s spent nearly nothing to try it (again, while not ignoring other positions of need).
If the backup complains, the Steelers will cut him. The drama stuff really is overblown.
Isn’t the general consensus that Fields is just too slow getting the ball out? So what, if he can run.
That's not a lot, not sure what your point is. They averaged around 3600yds passing those years while rushing for around 2300 yds. Teams averaged over 4K passing yards per season. They had more sub 250 passing yards per game than over 250 passing yards per game and had several games where they rushed for more yards than passed. Now the Titans were very good those years which may have dictated less passing and more rushing but Arthur Smith has never been innovative when it comes to passing offense.
This feels like RapSheet doing the Bears a solid. Teams are constantly calling other each other about players. Nothing in this tweet says that any of these mystery teams offered more than the Steelers did.
Edited - meant Bears, not Steelers...
Last edited:
Or the Bears covering their asses because fans are upset with the low return.
Based on what was in the public, Atlanta was the most serious team - but Fields was always plan b to Cousins. It’s possible that the Poles screwed this up, but the simpler explanation is that the market never developed. The idea Poles floated to trade Fields before free agency was the right one. Still, it’s a passing league and in this context, Sam Howell or Kenny Pickett are more attractive options.
wilson is cooked and IF pitt is good next season they will have to pay him at least 30-40 mil a year
Everyone seems excited by the Steelers moves, and I agree they have done well this offseason at QB. But big picture, they likely had no long term solution at QB a month ago and the same applies now.
Fields still has some upside and I actually would have been fine with the Pats taking a flier there, but chances are none of Pickett/Wilson/Fields are the long term plan. I suppose at least from Pitt's perspective, even if that is true, this year is very cheap.
Fields still has some upside and I actually would have been fine with the Pats taking a flier there, but chances are none of Pickett/Wilson/Fields are the long term plan. I suppose at least from Pitt's perspective, even if that is true, this year is very cheap.