Next NFL Dominoes to Fall After Justin Fields Is Traded from Bears to Steelers
Despite entering the 2024 NFL offseason as one of the most discussed potential trade targets, Justin Fields went through nearly the entire first week of NFL free agency before the Chicago Bears dealt him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a Day 3 pick in the 2025 draft.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bears traded Fields to the Steelers for a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick that can become a fourth-rounder if he plays at least 51 percent of the snaps in the 2024 season.
Chicago will now look to find a new franchise signal-caller with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, while the Steelers have a completely new quarterback room after last season. This trade will also have a domino effect on other quarterback-needy teams and clubs with top-10 draft picks.
We'll highlight how the Fields trade impacts several teams in their approaches to the upcoming draft and what it means for top-tier quarterback prospects.
Bears Turn Their Full Attention to Caleb Williams, Top QB Prospects
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Let's start with the outcome most people expected out of the Chicago Bears' quarterback situation.
As teams attended the NFL Scouting Combine, The Athletic's Adam Jahns dismissed the idea that the Bears would build their offense around Justin Fields moving forward. Instead, he put the spotlight on the team's forthcoming draft decision at quarterback.
"Drafting the right quarterback is another story, another column," Jahns wrote. "But the Bears are poised for that next big swing on the most important position in sports — and the hardest to get right. All the signs are there."
Unless the Bears see Ryan Tannehill or Carson Wentz as franchise-altering veteran quarterbacks (highly doubtful), they're going to take a signal-caller with the first pick, whether it's at their current No. 1 slot or after trading down a few spots.
As of mid-March, USC's Caleb Williams seems like the consensus No. 1 overall pick in mock drafts, though the Bears could also consider two other highly touted options: LSU's Jayden Daniels and UNC's Drake Maye.
With DJ Moore, Cole Kmet and Keenan Allen, the latter of whom the Bears recently acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers, general manager Ryan Poles must find the maestro of the team's offense. Williams should begin to look at real estate in or around Chicago.
Steelers Must Address Wide Receiver Position to Help New QB Room
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According to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Justin Fields will serve as a backup for Russell Wilson.
The Steelers came to an agreement with Wilson before the start of the legal tampering period. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, that influenced quarterback Kenny Pickett to request a trade that resulted in his departure to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Regardless of whether Wilson finishes the season as a starter or Fields replaces him, the Steelers must add at least one receiver to complement George Pickens. This past Tuesday, they traded wideout Diontae Johnson and a seventh-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-rounder, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
During free agency, the Steelers addressed multiple needs on defense, signing linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott, and Jackson, who should start opposite cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the secondary. The Steelers can now turn their attention to the offensive side of the ball after addressing the backup quarterback spot.
Pittsburgh signed wideout Van Jefferson, but his receiving numbers have been on the decline since the 2021 campaign. He's started in 35 out of 61 career contests. The Steelers have the Nos. 20 and 51 overall picks, which puts them in a position to select a high-end wide receiver prospect.
Assuming Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers are off the board before Pittsburgh gets on the clock at No. 20, general manager Omar Khan can consider Keon Coleman in the first round or perhaps Brian Thomas Jr., Jalen McMillan or Roman Wilson on Day 2 of the draft.
Patriots Will Begin to Receive a Flood of Calls for the No. 3 Overall Pick
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As of Saturday, the Chicago Bears have quarterbacks Tyson Bagent and Brett Rypien on their depth chart. Don't expect them to roll through training camp with a battle between only those two signal-callers.
Chicago will probably draft a quarterback with its first selection. They'll likely stand pat and take a signal-caller with the No. 1 overall pick, but they could move down a spot or two if they prefer a passer other than Caleb Williams. Another club may be willing to offer a treasure chest of picks for the USC product.
Regardless of what the Bears think of the top quarterback prospects, keep your eyes on the New England Patriots' No. 3 overall pick. This offseason, the Patriots parted ways with former head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick and promoted inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to the lead skipper position. Front-office executive Eliot Wolf now has the final say in the Patriots' draft decisions.
The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett for his second go-round in New England, but they might still draft a quarterback with the third pick. That's far from a foregone conclusion, though.
Like other teams in rebuild mode, the Patriots may prefer to trade down and pick up draft capital to revamp their roster. With that in mind, general managers of teams that want a signal-caller should be lighting up the phones at Patriots headquarters.
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Vikings Should Ramp Up Trade Talks for a Top-Five Draft Pick
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On Friday, the Minnesota Vikings traded a 2024 second-rounder and sixth-rounder along with a 2025 second-rounder to the Houston Texans for a 2024 first-rounder and seventh-rounder in the upcoming draft, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
In all likelihood, the Vikings made the move to stock up on draft capital for a big leap from the 11th spot in order to take a quarterback. They lost Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency and signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah believes Minnesota "will put forth a strong effort to try and get up to get Drake Maye."
Jeremiah and his colleague Bucky Brooks noted that Vikings quarterbacks coach Josh McCown coached Maye at the high school level. However, Jeremiah isn't sure if Minnesota will be able to move high enough to take him.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should start with calls to the New England Patriots, assuming that the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders will take quarterbacks with the top two picks, respectively. Also, the Bears may not want to help the Vikings (a division rival) acquire their quarterback of the future.
If the Patriots reject the Vikings' proposal, Minnesota can inquire with the Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Chargers about the fourth and fifth picks, respectively. Beyond that, the Vikings can consider a short jump to the Atlanta Falcons' No. 8 spot, but that wouldn't guarantee them a shot at the fourth-best quarterback with J.J. McCarthy rumors (h/t SNY's Connor Hughes) swirling around the New York Giants, who have the sixth pick.
Either way, Minnesota should be able to slide into the top five even if New England takes a signal-caller to learn under Jacoby Brissett.
In their second year under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon, the Cardinals may want to add additional rookie talent for a high-volume draft haul.
The Chargers may want more draft capital as they transform their roster under a new regime led by general manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh. They've parted ways with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, which leaves a big need at wide receiver.
Minnesota should try to get a deal done to prevent other quarterback-needy teams from leapfrogging them for the third, fourth or fifth spot.
Broncos, Raiders May Wait Until Day 2 to Draft Quarterbacks
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The Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders fanbases can forget the thought of a dream trade scenario with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick.
Moreover, unless the Broncos and Raiders make aggressive moves for top-10 spots, they may address their shaky quarterback situations in the second or third round of the draft.
At No. 12 overall, the Broncos could select a player to compete with Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci, but they may not like their options. The Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots (or a team that trades into their spot), perhaps the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings can claim the top four quarterback prospects in the class by then.
If that happens, Denver could take the fifth-best quarterback with the 12th selection or address another position of need for better value. Bleacher Report scout Derrik Klassen projected Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. as third-round picks who could be high-level backups or potential starters.
After Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and possibly J.J. McCarthy come off the board, the Broncos shouldn't settle for a potential Day 2 pick with a top-15 selection unless they strongly believe that prospect can become a franchise player.
We can apply that same train of thought to the Raiders' quarterback situation, though they have a slightly better situation with Aidan O'Connell, who finished the 2023 campaign on a high note, and Gardner Minshew, who has started in 37 out of 49 career games.
However, the Raiders would have a low-ceiling 2024 outlook with Minshew and O'Connell as their potential starters. O'Connell has clear limitations because of his lack of mobility, and the Raiders may have two new starters on the right side of their offensive line.
Even though O'Connell threw for eight touchdowns without an interception over his last four starts, he completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes in two of those games. Moreover, O'Connell will have to learn a new offense under Luke Getsy.
In five pro seasons, Minshew has been a low-level starter or a backup. Last season, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod, throwing for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 62.2 percent completion rate in 17 outings (13 starts). Though Minshew had a decent run as a fill-in starter for Anthony Richardson with the Indianapolis Colts, his recent production doesn't indicate that he's a franchise quarterback.
The Raiders signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million in guarantees, which is about the amount a team would pay a low-level starter or bridge quarterback.
Barring a surprise move into a top-10 spot, Las Vegas may pass on quarterbacks in the first round to address needs along the offensive line or at cornerback. If so, the Raiders could be looking at a training camp battle with Minshew, O'Connell and a Day 2 rookie in the mix.
A Day 2 rookie quarterback can win the starting job outright—Derek Carr accomplished that feat with the team in 2014—but that's not the norm across the league.
2024 NFL draft order information is provided by Tankathon.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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