Tag: Bears trade rumor

Report: Bears received trade inquiries on Justin Fields at Senior Bowl

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated says the Bears received trade inquiries about Justin Fields from other teams earlier this month.

The Chicago Bears are still turning over every stone when it comes to their quarterback situation, but it looks like other teams are doing the same. According Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Bears received trade inquiries surrounding quarterback Justin Fields while attending this year’s Senior Bowl a couple weeks ago. Breer writes that Bears staffers got a sense of what the quarterback’s value might be on the trade market:

Chicago staffers got inquiries from other teams on Fields in Mobile. And while the Bears haven’t shopped Fields, those conversations did allow the team to start to gauge the 2021 first-rounder’s worth out there on the market.

The Bears are meeting over the next couple weeks to finalize plans at quarterback, with the expectation that they’ll have the plan in place in Indianapolis next week.

Breer makes it clear the Bears were not shopping Fields but rather listening to what teams might be willing to offer in a potential deal. They also still need to get to the NFL Combine next week to begin finalizing any plans once they meet with prospects. Still, it’s another step in the process of determining what Chicago will do at the quarterback position.

Fields took steps in his third professional season, throwing for 2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4% of his passes with a quarterback rating of 86.3 in 13 games. But with the Bears having the No. 1 overall pick by way of the Carolina Panthers in a quarterback-rich draft class, the chances of them moving on from Fields in favor of a rookie like Caleb Williams are increasing by the day.

Whatever winds up happening, the Bears are getting closer to making a decision that will have massive ramifications for the future of their franchise.

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Trading Justin Fields this season would be a mistake

Hypothetical trade scenarios involving Justin Fields are popping up on social media. But trading the QB now would be a bad move.

For NFL fans, social media is the perfect place to gather relevant information, share angst about their favorite teams, and discuss hypothetical trade scenarios. That last one becomes a very interesting topic as the season rolls along and the fates of certain teams start to become clearer.

In the case of Chicago Bears fans, one hypothetical trade scenario that has popped up in recent days involves quarterback Justin Fields. Various sports sites and personalities have shared trade ideas surrounding Fields, such as dealing him to the Atlanta Falcons so the Bears can draft another quarterback, or sending Fields to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for QB Kyler Murray.

Trading Fields is the sports topic that creates the most buzz, and one can argue it makes sense. But no matter how bad things get for Chicago, and they’re certainly not great as they’re sitting at 0-4, they still shouldn’t trade the young quarterback during the season.

The Bears are at a low point, coming off their latest loss of the season, a 31-28 crushing defeat to the Denver Broncos. But in that loss was stellar quarterback play from Fields, who had the best game of his young career. Fields went 28-of-25 for 335 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Though the pick came with the game on the line, there was much to like about his performance after a sluggish start to the season. That has fans thinking he could be moved for draft capital prior to the trade deadline, while the Bears set their sights on finding the next great quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. It’s a fun thought, but it’s hardly practical.

There are still four weeks until the NFL trade deadline (Oct. 31st), and the Bears could at that point still be in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall pick. Trading Fields would make general manager Ryan Poles’ intentions clear: to tank for the top pick for the chance to draft someone like USC’s Caleb Williams. But there would still be nine games to play, and nothing is guaranteed in this league.

Even if the Bears (presumably) got worse during that time, who’s to say they wouldn’t luck into a couple of wins? What if another team bottoms out even worse? Next thing you know, Chicago isn’t in position to get the top pick in the draft and they miss out on a chance for their ideal quarterback. They could then be forced to give away their valuable draft assets for that top pick, something that’s not ideal for a team that still needs plenty of other help. Even with the Carolina Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick in hand, a lot can change from late October to early January. Missing out on a top prospect while giving away Fields isn’t worth the gamble.

Not only that, are teams really lining up to deal for a starting quarterback during the middle of the season? The last significant quarterback trade that took place midseason sent Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. And even then, he was a backup behind Tom Brady before he became the starter in San Francisco. A Fields-level trade during the season doesn’t happen in this league.

Unless the improbable happens and there is some sort of blockbuster deal where a team is willing to trade the farm, any talk of trading Fields should wait until the season has concluded. Give him the rest of the year, see where the team winds up with staff changes and draft position, and make the decision then. The Bears gain very little by dealing him in October and stand to lose too much if the chips don’t fall the way they want. It took a miraculous finish from the Houston Texans in Week 18 to guarantee the Bears the No. 1 overall pick this past year. Who’s to say it will happen again?

Though things look bleak as Chicago prepares to take on the Washington Commanders on a short week, there is still a chance Fields turns a corner and plays to his potential. He could show the Bears that he’s still a dynamic playmaker who can elevate a team that is worth building around. And if he is, but the Bears still wind up with the top pick, then they have options. But picking a lane now is a gamble Poles cannot make. Let’s get to the end of the season and go from there. Until then, you might want to find other players to entertain in trade scenarios.

Report: Bears have inquired about Chiefs DT Chris Jones

According to the Bet the Board podcast, Bears GM Ryan Poles called the Chiefs to inquire about Chris Jones’ availability.

The Chicago Bears have already added one big name to their defensive front in the last month. Could another one be coming? General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears have reportedly inquired about the availability of Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones, according to Payne Insider of the Bet the Board podcast. Jones has been missing from Chiefs training camp all summer due to a contract dispute and has no plans on reporting any time soon.

On Thursday’s episode of the betting podcast, Insider and co-host Todd Fuhrman were previewing the AFC West. When it was time to talk about the Chiefs, Jones’ contract situation came up, and Insider said the Bears made a call in regards to his availability.

I’m not insinuating a trade is coming but the Bears have called about Chris Jones because they want to be all in on Justin Fields’ rookie contract. Let’s see what transpires here.

The report was shared by ESPN 1000’s Carmen DeFalco on Friday’s “Carmen and Jurko” show, who provides background on Insider as someone “very plugged in across the NFL.”

The Bears have overhauled their roster this offseason with trades, big signings, and high draft picks. Their most recent signing was bringing in veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue on a one-year, $10.5 million deal. Now they could be looking to make an even bigger splash by bringing in one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.

Jones was drafted by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and quickly became a prominent defensive player. He broke out in his third season with 15.5 sacks in 2018 and has been the team’s top defender for the last few years as he’s helped Kansas City capture two Super Bowl titles. He has 243 total tackles (65 for a loss), 65 sacks, and 12 forced fumbles, with four Pro Bowl nods and one First-Team All-Pro appearance.

All of that success comes at a price, though, and Jones is looking for a new deal. He signed a four-year deal worth up to $80 million ($60 million guaranteed) in 2020. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of that contract and is looking to make top dollar. Until the Chiefs (or someone else) pays up, he’s willing to stay away until Week 8. That’s the latest he can sit out and still hit free agency the following season. It’s reported that Jones is looking to make $30 million per year on a new deal.

Ever since he arrived in early 2022, Poles has been reluctant to make splash moves that require sending draft capital and/or paying top dollar for players up to this point. But Jones could be worth such a move, and he’s someone Poles knows well. The Bears general manager had a hand in drafting him when he was a member of the Chiefs front office.

Time will tell if the Bears or any other team are serious about making a trade for Jones. But it’s clear Poles is looking at every avenue to make the Bears a competitive team heading into the 2023 season.