As actuality started to creep late final week that the Chicago Bears may rapidly run out of apparent commerce locations for quarterback Justin Fields, a outstanding NFL agent with expertise facilitating trades for his purchasers provided a backside line abstract of the state of affairs.
“I’d begin searching for a [scheme] match and a backup [quarterback] state of affairs that isn’t pinned down,” the agent stated. “Discovering a match is extra vital than simply searching for a participant he can beat out as a result of the very last thing you wish to do is put a participant onto a nasty workforce. It may well really make issues worse. So generally it’s not the apparent groups that take advantage of sense. … Have a look at Geno [Smith] and the quarterbacks he performed behind all these years. That turned out to be a optimistic when he obtained his subsequent probability as a starter.”
Within the case of Fields and his subsequent vacation spot, the maths is trending in that route.
Gone are the times of grouping collectively franchises which have a necessity on the high of the QB depth chart and no easy decision. Now the algorithm has moved into far trickier territory: Searching for groups exterior of the NFC North which have a major backup quarterback want, a scheme match, some draft ammunition and ideally a entrance workplace prepared to roll the cube on excessive upside alternative. On this case, that’s fairly a needle thread, notably with Fields carrying just one 12 months of contract management, attributable to a fifth-year rookie possibility that’s unlikely to be triggered.
However on this explicit state of affairs, there’s a very wise match: The Philadelphia Eagles.
Proper now, the Eagles are within the midst of making an attempt to determine an answer to their backup quarterback void, following the departure of Marcus Mariota to the Washington Commanders. Final 12 months’s sixth-round draft choose Tanner McKee is on the roster, however he has no regular-season snaps. The Eagles have a starter in Jalen Hurts who’s liable to taking punishment in video games, and no skilled backup to carry the fort if Hurts goes down within the season. For a workforce that’s nonetheless constructed to be within the postseason combine and just one season faraway from a Tremendous Bowl look, that qualifies as a major danger. And at an early juncture of free company, an ideal many backup quarterbacks have already been scooped up by different franchises.
Now enter Fields into that image, with the Bears nonetheless searching for a commerce accomplice and their potential compensation and leverage dwindling with every backup quarterback slot that will get stuffed throughout the league. As we wrote again in December, Fields’ true worth in response to a swath of basic managers was going to be within the middle-round choose vary, someplace between third- and fourth-round compensation, probably with some qualifiers added to a deal. Because of their compensatory choose allotment, the Eagles have one third-round choose, in addition to three fifth-rounders. The compensation is actually there to get a deal performed.
While you issue within the penchant of Eagles basic supervisor Howie Roseman to be concerned in virtually the whole lot in the course of the offseason — to not point out his potential to grab upside at an affordable worth — there may be some traction available between the Bears and Eagles. Not simply because Fields has beginning expertise that might be beneficial within the occasion of an damage to Hurts, but additionally as a result of he matches Philadelphia’s run-heavy RPO packages, which may reap the benefits of Fields’ strongest asset as a scrambler. He may additionally supply new Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore the flexibility to design a couple of change of tempo working snaps, taking among the put on and tear off of Hurts.
For a one-year look, it makes plenty of sense. Even Fields’ wage is comparatively low-cost amongst high quality backups, at simply over $3.2 million in base cash and a roster bonus that kicks in in the beginning of coaching camp. And all of that is constructed across the further dimension of Fields nonetheless probably being a commerce asset previous to the 2024 deadline. Roseman isn’t any stranger to being an energetic purchaser on the deadline, however there’s a savvy promote that involves thoughts: His September 2016 commerce of Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round choose. That deal got here collectively after the Vikings misplaced starter Teddy Bridgewater to a preseason apply damage, opening a lane for the Eagles to deal Bradford, who on the time was a bridge starter in entrance of then-rookie Carson Wentz.
Whereas it’s unlikely that Fields may ever draw that sort of compensation in the same state of affairs, there isn’t any denying that he would have worth if a aggressive workforce misplaced a starter previous to the commerce deadline. Probably sufficient worth for Roseman to deal him. And even when that chance didn’t materialize, the Eagles would merely carry Fields by way of the 2024 season, understanding that they had an skilled starter behind Hurts who additionally matches into the energy of their offense.
And whereas that may not be the right state of affairs for Fields — who undoubtedly is trying to stay a starter — it’s price noting that he’d get a season with Moore taking an in depth take a look at him. The identical Kellen Moore who may vault again to the highest of head-coaching search lists with one sturdy season in Philadelphia, and will discover himself taking up a franchise in want of a quarterback who is aware of his playbook. And Fields needs to be heading into free company one 12 months from now, with the flexibility to selected what’s finest for him on the open market. For Fields, the potential of understanding Moore’s playbook and Moore being a head-coaching candidate once more in 2025 is a few upside potential chiseled out of a backup quarterback spot.
It’s actually not the apparent alternative that the beginning jobs of the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers represented solely per week in the past. However the apparent path is gone for Fields and the Bears. Now could be when issues get artistic. And there are few groups and basic managers who embrace creativity and alternative higher than the Eagles and Roseman.