Top Trade Packages Bears Should Consider for Justin Fields Before 2024 NFL Draft
While the Chicago Bears haven't tipped their hand just yet, signs point to them moving off quarterback Justin Fields this offseason and selecting either Caleb Williams or Drake Maye with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Feb. 10 that it would take a "historic haul" for the Bears to trade the No. 1 pick. While a Fields trade likely wouldn't fetch such a haul, it could add some premium capital for the Bears' ongoing rebuild.
According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, "several sources" have suggested that a package of second- and fourth-round draft picks would be a realistic asking price for Fields. That would give Chicago seven selections in the first four rounds, including the No. 1 and No. 9 overall picks.
Fields' price point could change dramatically in the coming weeks, depending on several factors, including the number of teams interested and the futures of impending free agents and other trade candidates like Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson.
Here, we'll take an early look at six potential suitors for Fields, along with logical trade offers—based on factors like draft positioning, cap space and roster makeup—that Chicago would have to at least consider.
Atlanta Falcons
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The Offer: 2024 first-round pick (8th overall), 2024 second-round pick (43rd overall), TE Jonnu Smith for Fields and Chicago's 2024 first-round pick (9th overall)
The Atlanta Falcons are a logical landing spot for Fields for a few reasons.
For one, they appear to have just about everything in place needed to contend aside from a quarterback. New head coach Raheem Morris has to find an upgrade over Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, and Fields showed plenty of promise as a dual-threat signal-caller down the stretch this past season.
Fields' unique skill set would pair with the likes of running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, potentially giving Atlanta one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFC. Falcons director of player personnel Ryan Pace was also Chicago's general manager when the Bears drafted Fields.
According to Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, there's already some buzz building about Fields landing with the Falcons: "That's the name many around the NFL connect to Atlanta, though it's unclear for sure if that's the spot."
The Bears might want to land one of the Falcons' talented skill-position players to support their next quarterback. However, the Falcons will likely want to retain their offensive supporting cast for the same purposes.
However, Atlanta might be willing to part with tight end Jonnu Smith, who is its second TE option behind Pitts and a potential cap casualty. Chicago may lose both Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan in free agency, so Smith would be a valuable addition.
While the Falcons aren't likely to trade their first-round pick for Fields outright, they could consider swapping picks with Chicago as an added bonus to other draft compensation to separate themselves in a possible bidding war.
Las Vegas Raiders
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The Offer: 2024 second-round pick (44th overall), 2024 fourth-round pick (113th overall) and WR Hunter Renfrow for Fields
The Las Vegas Raiders have their new head coach in Antonio Pierce and their new general manager in Tom Telesco. They also have a new offensive coordinator in former Bears play-caller Luke Getsy.
The big unknown here is whether Getsy is interested in reuniting with Fields, especially since the quarterback's uneven performance over the last two years led to Getsy's firing.
Fields, who threw 13 touchdown passes and only five interceptions over his final 10 starts last season, did show progress under Getsy. With Chicago retaining head coach Matt Eberflus, somebody was destined to be the scapegoat for last year's 7-10 campaign, and it wound up being Getsy.
Las Vegas saw how Fields grew under Getsy, especially after things finally clicked with No. 1 receiver DJ Moore. The Raiders could easily envision continued growth under Getsy and with a talented receiving corps that includes Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker.
With all due respect to Aidan O'Connell, the Raiders—who have an impressive skill-position group and a defense that looked borderline elite down the stretch in 2023—could become legitimate contenders with a more dynamic quarterback under center.
The Raiders would probably prefer to land one of the top quarterback prospects in April's draft, but moving up from 13th overall to land Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or even LSU's Jayden Daniels might not be feasible. According to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, as many as five teams could be looking to move up to the top of Round 1 for a quarterback.
Given the momentum Las Vegas built during Pierce's 5-4 run as interim head coach, it probably won't look to part with any key contributors in a trade for Fields. However, slot specialist Hunter Renfrow, another potential cap casualty, could serve as a trade-topper to go with those proposed second- and fourth-round picks.
New England Patriots
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The Offer: 2024 second-round pick (34th overall) and 2024 fourth-round pick (104th overall) for Fields
Early in the offseason, the New England Patriots parted with longtime head coach Bill Belichick and quickly promoted Jerod Mayo to replace him. Mayo's first order of business should involve finding an upgrade over quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
Jones showed promise as a rookie, even making the Pro Bowl in 2021. However, he struggled over the past two years and was repeatedly benched for Zappe, who didn't yield notably superior results.
New England is armed with the third overall pick in April's draft, which could be a prime spot to secure Daniels or Maye. However, that doesn't mean the Patriots should rule out pursuing a veteran like Fields—and they reportedly won't.
According to Chad Graff of The Athletic, New England is "exploring all options" at quarterback, even if the "most likely" outcome is selecting one with the No. 3 pick.
New England's offensive supporting cast is one of the weakest in the NFL. The Patriots can improve it dramatically with their $73.9 million in projected cap space, but that wouldn't necessarily guarantee an elite skill-position group for a rookie quarterback.
Trading for Fields and keeping that No. 3 pick would allow New England to address both of its offensive problems. If Williams and Maye go first and second overall (in some order), Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. would be available at No. 3 for New England. Harrison is both the top receiver in the 2024 draft class and is the B/R Scouting Department's top-ranked prospect overall.
Given that New England is so high in the draft order, second- and fourth-round picks alone might be enough to move the needle for the Bears.
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Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Offer: 2024 second-round pick (51st overall), 2024 fourth-round pick (120th overall) and CB Patrick Peterson for Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers are running it back with head coach Mike Tomlin, who is entering the final year of his contract. That's a logical decision considering Tomlin still got Pittsburgh into the postseason despite underwhelming quarterback play, but Pittsburgh may need to improve its situation under center to keep Tomlin beyond next season.
Kenny Pickett, the No. 20 overall pick from the 2022 NFL draft, was so ineffective as the starter that Tomlin kept backup Mason Rudolph as the starter for the playoffs even though Pickett was healthy enough to return from ankle surgery.
At the very least, Pittsburgh needs to find a quarterback to compete with Pickett in training camp. Targeting Fields could allow the Steelers to replace him outright—and possibly convince Tomlin to sign a long-term extension.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tomlin has an affinity for Chicago's signal-caller.
"Mike Tomlin's a big fan of Justin Fields. We'll keep that in mind during the offseason and the coming weeks," Schefter said on The Pat McAfee Show (h/t Ryan Taylor of NBC Sports Chicago).
Fields' scrambling ability would certainly add a new dynamic to the Steelers offense, and his ability to push the ball downfield would mesh with receivers Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Calvin Austin III.
Since the Steelers have an open playoff window, they probably wouldn't be inclined to part with much veteran talent. However, cornerback Patrick Peterson, who filled in at safety late in 2023, could be an intriguing trade chip for both teams.
Pittsburgh is facing a $4.3 million cap deficit and could save $6.9 million by moving Peterson before March 16. The Bears could use some veteran depth on the back end after releasing longtime safety Eddie Jackson on February 15.
Seattle Seahawks
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The Offer: 2024 third-round pick (78th overall), 2024 third-round pick via New Orleans (81st overall) and QB Geno Smith for Fields
Would the Seattle Seahawks part with quarterback Geno Smith a year after signing him to a three-year, $75 million extension? It's entirely possible.
Smith battled groin and arm injuries in 2023, and he experienced a dip in production. Though he still made the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, his passer rating dropped from 100.9 to 92.1.
With longtime head coach Pete Carroll now gone, the Seahawks may no longer view Smith as a viable long-term option. They're also facing a $1.6 million cap deficit and could save $13.8 million in cap space by trading Smith before March 17.
While Chicago's next quarterback will likely be Williams or Maye (barring a massive surprise), Smith could still prove value as a veteran mentor. Chicago has $70 million in projected cap space and could afford to take on Smith's contract to ensure its rookie quarterback has some guidance in the locker room. Shane Waldron, Chicago's new offensive coordinator, also spent the last three seasons coaching Smith in Seattle.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks now employ Mike Macdonald as their head coach. Macdonald spent the last two seasons as the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator, where he got a first-hand look at what a capable dual-threat quarterback can do for an offense.
That isn't to suggest that Fields is the next Lamar Jackson, but he possesses some similar traits. Seattle is loaded at receiver, and if Macdonald can fix its 30th-ranked defense, Fields could also land in a situation similar to Jackson's.
It's at least an intriguing proposition for the Seahawks, who may have a difficult time moving up from No. 16 overall to secure one of the draft's top quarterback prospects. The big question is whether Seattle could craft an enticing enough trade package without a second-round pick, which it already sent to the New York Giants in the Leonard Williams trade.
Smith and a pair of third-rounders might get it done.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Offer: 2024 second-round pick (57th overall), 2024 fourth-round pick (126th overall), 2025 third-round pick, WR Russell Gage and EDGE Shaquil Barrett for Fields
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are definitely the outliers in this group. They reached the postseason with newly minted Pro Bowler Baker Mayfield under center in 2023, and re-signing Mayfield will likely be one of their top priorities this offseason.
However, the Bucs have several impending free agents to address, including Mayfield, wideout Mike Evans, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., linebacker Lavonte David and linebacker Devin White.
While Tampa has $41.2 million in projected cap space, it likely can't afford to keep everyone. And with former offensive coordinator Dave Canales taking the Carolina Panthers' head coaching gig, Mayfield may not be eager to return at a discount.
Mayfield has played for eight different head coaches (including interim coaches) in only six seasons. Regardless of whether he stays in Tampa Bay or goes elsewhere, he'll be playing for a new offensive play-caller yet again.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Winfield, not Mayfield, is the Buccaneers' most likely franchise-tag candidate. If the Bucs get the sense that they can't retain Mayfield, they could pivot to Fields since they aren't likely to land a top quarterback prospect at No. 26 overall.
Given Tampa's position in the draft order, second- and fourth-round picks alone might not be enough to entice Chicago. However, receiver Russell Gage and pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett, two potential cap casualties for the Bucs, could address needs for the Bears.
Gage missed all of the 2023 campaign with a torn patellar tendon, but he had 51 catches for 426 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. He'd help bolster the receiver depth for Chicago's next quarterback, while Barrett would give the Bears another piece for their pass-rushing rotation now led by Montez Sweat.
Even with some veteran players included, though, the Bucs still might have to offer higher draft compensation than teams picking significantly higher in the order.
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