NFL Rumors: Bears Open to Waiting on Justin Fields Trade Until Cousins, Mayfield Sign
Despite Justin Fields' desire for a quick resolution to find out where he will be playing next season, the Chicago Bears could hang on to the 24-year-old quarterback until the top free-agent signal-callers pick their destinations.
Per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Bears general manager Ryan Poles is "open to waiting" on a Fields trade until after Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield sign this offseason.
Even though the Bears are trying to play coy about their plans with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, it's widely assumed they will use it to select a quarterback.
Conventional wisdom also assumes that Fields is on his way out of Chicago. He said on the Feb. 21 episode of the St. Brown Bros Podcast (starts at 22:45 mark) he would like to remain with the Bears, but he understands the realities of the business.
Poles told reporters during the NFL combine he wants to do right by Fields, but said he also has to "look at every option and decide what is best for our team."
Waiting until after Cousins and Mayfield sign can only help Chicago's leverage in trade talks because teams that miss out on those players will feel increased desperation to land a quarterback.
It doesn't appear there are going to be a lot of starting-caliber quarterbacks who will be traded this offseason. The free-agent market after Mayfield and Cousins looks pretty soft. Ryan Tannehill and Jacoby Brissett are arguably the best one-year bridge starters.
Russell Wilson is expected to join the list of free agents if he is released by the Denver Broncos, which will likely happen soon. His value as a starter at this point in his career is up for debate.
Fields is a flawed player who has struggled with his accuracy as a passer throughout his career, but he's also shown the ability to take over games with his rushing ability. His 1,800 rushing yards over the past two seasons are 215 more than any other quarterback.
The Ohio State alum only has a $6 million cap hit next season, per Spotrac, though a team will have to decide by May 2 if it wants to exercise his fifth-year option for 2025 that comes with a $25.7 million fully guaranteed salary.
If Chicago does trade Fields, the absolute latest a move would likely happen is April 25 or 26 during the draft. There's some expectation the Bears could land a second- and fourth-round draft pick in return for Fields.
