With at least 5 teams in mix for QB Justin Fields, why did Bears deal with Steelers?

Justin Fields wanted the chance to play for Mike Tomlin, and that was part of why he was traded to Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a huge trade this past weekend when they got quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. While this sounds like a huge win for the Steelers, the deal when down in part the way it did because the Bears wanted to be fair to Fields.

According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, at least four other teams inquired about Fields, and there were better offers than the one the Steelers made. But the Bears went to Fields and asked him where he wanted to play and he said he wanted to play for the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin, so Chicago general manager Ryan Poles made the deal.

Fields is a perfect fit for Pittsburgh. He has a year to work with Russell Wilson, Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to get his career on track, whether it is in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

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Steelers hosting FA wide receiver Mike Williams for a visit

The Steelers continue to try to add pieces on offense.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been working at a frenetic pace this offseason adding talent and it sounds like they are not done. According to multiple sources including ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter, the Steelers are planning to host former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams for a visit.

The Steelers traded away starting wide receiver Diontae Johnson at the start of free agency to help save money, add a starting cornerback and remove a potential troublemaker in the locker room. The Steelers signed free agent wide receiver Van Jefferson already but Williams brings a whole different level of production and experience.

We doubt he will leave if the Steelers get Williams into Pittsburgh for a visit. General Manager Omar Khan has been working his magic all offseason so we have no doubt he can make the sell to Williams to come join this talented group of skill players and catch passes from Russell Wilson.

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Steelers fleece Bears (again) in trade for Justin Fields

Steelers GM Omar Khan has the Bears number in these trades.

When Justin Fields failed to impress in what became his final season with the Chicago Bears, people began to speculate what they would want in return for the quarterback’s services. Chicago holds the first overall pick and has been linked to USC’s Caleb Williams for months.

A 2024 second-round, third-round — maybe more? Too steep for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were in the market for a starter after Mitch Trubisky’s release, followed by trading Kenny Pickett.

That quickly changed as QB-needy teams began to acquire their new signal callers and the market for Fields softened. The Bears also steadily lost leverage as they backed themselves into a corner with the idea of drafting Williams.

This is when General Manager Omar Khan made his move. Despite already signing Russell Wilson, Khan saw an opportunity to fleece the Bears again and they took it. The Steelers ended up landing Fields for a sixth-round pick in 2025 that could potentially turn into a fourth if Fields plays more than half the snaps in 2024.

This follows up Khan convincing the Bears to give up a second-round pick for Chase Claypool in November of 2022. The Steelers turned that pick into cornerback Joey Porter Jr. So in essence, the Steelers traded Claypool and a sixth-round pick for Joey Porter Jr. and Justin Fields. Not too shabby.

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New Steelers cornerback earns more than Justin Fields, Russell Wilson combined

Steelers GM Omar Khan pulled off two huge quarterback deals this offseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans griped when their team did the typical hire-from-within after general manager Kevin Colbert stepped down. But Pittsburgh knew exactly what it was doing. The NFL and team structure is all about the money and with the promotion of Omar Khan from vice president of football & business administration to general manager, they got their money guy.

Khan had been at it for years with the Steelers, coming to Pittsburgh from the New Orleans Saints in 2001 as their football administration coordinator. A decade later, he was promoted to director of football administration. His titles were all fancy for salary cap guru.

And it’s been on display so far in his second year as general manager, especially regarding Russell Wilson and newly acquired Justin Fields.

For Khan and the Steelers, it was the right team at the right time. First, they needed one quarterback, which quickly became two after Mitch Trubisky’s release and the Kenny Pickett trade. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers would’ve done either without knowing they’d be set when they did.

The right time is thanks to the Denver Broncos’ massive mishandling of their Wilson contract and the Chicago Bears wanting to move on from Fields.

With Denver footing the remainder of Wilson’s guaranteed contract and Fields still on his rookie deal, the Steelers have both quarterbacks under contract for a combined $4.5 million in 2024.

By comparison, newly-signed cornerback Donte Jackson will earn $4.7 million in 2024.

Of course, it won’t always be this way. Although Fields’ salary this year is $3.233 million, they’ll have to decide by May 2 whether to exercise his fifth-year option to the tune of $25.664 million.

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Fifth-year option of QB Justin Fields now in the hands of the Steelers

The Steelers have until May 2 to decide on Justin Fields fifth-year option.

One of the biggest sticking points with the Chicago Bears ability to trade quarterback Justin Fields was his pending fifth-year option. The longer the Bears waited, the closer that May 2 deadline crept and by then Chicago would presumably have already drafted USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

Now, with the news that the Bears traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the onus now falls on the Steelers to decide how to handle that fifth-year option. What will the Steelers do?

The short answer is they aren’t going to give it to him. Pittsburgh might love Fields’ potential and plan on him being this team’s franchise quarterback but they aren’t going to pay him $25 million in 2025.

If the Steelers don’t pick up the option, this would mean that Fields and Russell Wilson would be free agents at the end of the 2024 season. We expect to see at least one of them signed to a contract extension before the start of the season, with our money on Wilson.

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How to buy Russell Wilson Pittsburgh Steelers jersey

Pre-order your Russell Wilson Steelers jersey now so you’ll be ready to celebrate the Steelers’ newest acquisition

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a team with a lot of moving parts in the early stages of the NFL’s free agency period.

None bigger than QB Russell Wilson

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The Super Bowl winning quarterback is bringing his talents into a revamped Pittsburgh locker room alongside linebacker Patrick Queen. The Steelers inked him to a free-agent contract.

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Kenny Pickett trade could lead to another trade for Steelers

The Steelers just traded away one quarterback and could trade for another one now.

With the big news on Friday that the Pittsburgh Steelers had traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, it immediately got us thinking about what the next moves are for Pittsburgh. It could be another trade.

The understanding is that based on reports, this all came together very quickly, so the Steelers probably didn’t have a plan beyond getting a return for Pickett and giving him the trade he requested. The Steelers next move might be right back to another trade.

With Russell Wilson in place as the starter for this season but there’s no certainty beyond that. So the Steelers need to be doing what they should have been doing at the end of Ben Roethlisberger’s career. Being proactive.

That proactive move could be to trade for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. There had been reports of interest but nothing came of it. Now, with Fields trade value at an all-time low, Pittsburgh could make a move for Fields, get him in for a year while they plan for him to be the future.

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Antonio Brown asks Adam Schefter for credit on Russell Wilson scoop

Antonio Brown’s overwhelming desire to be noticed seems to know no limits.

Late Sunday night, the news broke that Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was planning to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The initial reports came out from all the usual sources including ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter.

One guy who wants some credit for the breaking news is former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. He tweeted on Friday that his former team was signing Wilson to a one-year deal.

Brown even went so far as to reach out to Schefter in a DM asking for credit for breaking the story two days earlier. Schefter handled Brown like a pro but didn’t offer up the credit, leading Brown to take to social media to talk about it.

If anyone should claim they broke this story it is former NFL receiver Chad Johnson. He called it over a week ago when he said a little bird told him Wilson was headed to the Steelers. Once we knew there was an interest between Wilson and the Steelers it wasn’t hard to connect the dots and assume this is how it would end. But Brown has never been a guy to squander an opportunity to insult someone or beg for attention.

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Russell Wilson signing signals end of Mason Rudolph era in Pittsburgh

Mason Rudolph will hit free agency on Wednesday.

When Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan addressed the media at the NFL Scouting Combine, he talked at length about the quarterback position. One point Khan made was the team wanted quarterback Mason Rudolph back and would try very hard to keep him.

Fast-forward to now and the Steelers have decided to sign former Denver Broncos Russell Wilson just two days before the official start of free agency. This ultimately means the Mason Rudolph era is coming to an end in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. The team actually traded up to get Rudolph. He was the team’s No. 3 quarterback his rookie season.

From 2019 to 2023, Rudolph found himself all over the depth chart. He started 13 games in five seasons and went 8-4-1 as a starter. Rudolph was always a consummate professional, biding his time, never speaking ill of the team or his teammates and when called upon, he produced. Last season, Rudolph ended up being the best quarterback on the roster once he took over for an ineffective Mitch Trubisky.

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Steelers getting a bargain on Russell Wilson contract

The Steelers get Russell Wilson on a league-minimum contract.

With the news that the Pittsburgh Steelers were signing former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, the first thought went to money. Like it or not the salary cap and managing it is as important as anything for franchises.

But with Wilson, the Steelers got a real bargain and it works great for Wilson as well. When Wilson signed with the Broncos in 2022, he signed a massive five-year, $242.6 million contract. Now, he joins the Steelers on a one-year contract with the Steelers paying him $1.2 million and the Broncos picking up the tab on the rest of the $39 million he is due for this season.

The reality is Wilson is a one-year rental for the Steelers but it isn’t to say he won’t be with the team beyond 2024. Wilson doesn’t seem like a guy who is ready to walk away from the game so Pittsburgh could really benefit from his motivation. He wants to put the last two years behind him and remind the league of the player he once was. Thankfully this will happen as a bargain for the Steelers.

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