Justin Fields’ time as QB1 of the Chicago Bears is formally over.
Chicago reportedly traded the quarterback to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, in keeping with Ian Rapoport of NFL Community.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the Steelers despatched a 2025 sixth-round draft decide that may grow to be a fourth-round choice if Fields performs in 51 p.c of the Steelers’ performs in 2024.
What Chicago would do with the quarterback place was probably the most intriguing storylines heading into the offseason forward of the 2024 marketing campaign. It was within the uncommon place of ending with a 7-10 file and never being eradicated from playoff rivalry till the penultimate week of the season and nonetheless having the No. 1 total decide of the draft.
It landed that decide as a part of the commerce with the Carolina Panthers that introduced DJ Moore and different draft capital to the Bears in alternate for the No. 1 decide within the 2023 draft.
Whereas Fields has taken notable strides throughout his first three seasons within the league, the No. 1 decide additionally meant Chicago might choose USC’s Caleb Williams if the entrance workplace noticed him as a doubtlessly transcendent constructing block for a company that has so lengthy looked for a franchise quarterback.
Nonetheless, it additionally gave the entrance workplace the flexibility to commerce the decide for an additional haul or maybe draft somebody like Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. as one other weapon if it believed in Fields.
It apparently did not consider in Fields sufficient to maintain him.
That is the following step in an up-and-down begin to the quarterback’s profession after the Bears chosen him with the No. 11 total decide of the 2021 draft.
He began his profession behind veteran Andy Dalton however was shortly thrown into the lineup with a poor offensive line and lackluster weapons round him. His rookie season was additionally Matt Nagy’s last one as the pinnacle coach of the Bears, so he needed to modify to a brand new coach and offensive coordinator early in his profession.
That adjustment got here in 2022 with head coach Matt Eberflus and since-fired offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and Fields flashed his electrifying playmaking means whereas operating for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. There have been nonetheless issues together with his total ceiling as a passer, however the expertise was on full show.
Expectations had been raised in 2023 after Chicago landed Moore to provide Fields a game-changing weapon for the primary time.
Whereas the group began 2-7 and did not appear to be any nearer to contending standing, issues began to alter down the stretch. The Bears did not make the playoffs, however they went 5-3 within the last eight video games and impressed sufficient optimism from the followers that they began chanting in assist of Fields within the last residence sport:
It wasn’t troublesome to see a path to fast rivalry with Fields creating right into a dual-threat playmaker, Moore anchoring the receiving unit, and younger offensive linemen akin to Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins and Braxton Jones lastly giving the quarterback some much-needed safety.
Nonetheless, that path was dramatically altered with Saturday’s commerce.
As a substitute, the Bears will doubtless flip their consideration towards utilizing the No. 1 decide to seek out their subsequent franchise quarterback. And Fields will look to proceed his growth with the Steelers and maybe make Chicago remorse the choice to maneuver on from him with this transfer.
Pittsburgh’s offense might take vital strides in 2024.
Between Fields’ means to take off as a runner and the expertise already in place with George Pickens and Najee Harris, the ceiling is now a lot larger for the AFC North group than it was throughout its 10-7 season in 2023.
And that’s bother for the remainder of the groups in a loaded division that did not characteristic a single file underneath .500 final season, though Fields must beat out Russell Wilson for the beginning job to make {that a} actuality.