NFL Coach on Justin Fields Trade : NFL Called the Bears’ ‘Bluff, and Won’
NFL coach on Justin Fields trade: NFL criticizes Bears for ‘bluffing’
An NFL assistant coach saw the writing on the wall before the Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields for a meager return.
“There’s no way you can (have both on the roster),” the coach told ESPN, referring to Fields and potential No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. “The league bluffed Chicago and won.”
The coach added that the Bears “didn’t get anything for (Fields).”
According to Cronin, those comments were made before Fields’ contract was signed and turned out to be prophetic. In trading for the 25-year-old, Chicago acquired a 2025 sixth-round draft pick (possibly a fourth-round pick) from the Pittsburgh Steelers. ESPN reported on March 10 that the market for Fields is virtually non-existent when it comes to the Bears acquiring a valuable pick. Colleague Jeremy Fowler suggested he still believes teams can gain some leverage if free agency works in their favor. Instead, Fields’ most likely suitors gradually fell off the board. Most notably, after Cousins left, the Atlanta Falcons signed Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings added Sam Darnold. The Las Vegas Raiders also decided that guaranteeing Gardner Minshew $15 million was a better investment than trading Fields.
The assistant coach wondered why the Bears always go against the grain in negotiations. GM Ryan Paul’s only excuse was that he didn’t know what to do with No. 1 for a long time. And assuming Williams or another QB is the final pick, everyone will know as soon as that player arrives that Fields will be unavailable. The Arizona Cardinals faced a similar dilemma in 2019 when they took Kyler Murray No. 1 overall after taking a one-year suspension to take top-10 pick Josh Rosen. Arizona was able to secure at least a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder in the trade with the Miami Dolphins, but it was still a significant loss on the initial investment. With Rosen’s addition, the Cardinals benefited from Rosen’s rookie contract, which had multi-year cost control and theoretically significant upside. None of that applies to Fields, and his $25.7 million option in 2025 will likely scare off some suitors. The Poles deserve some credit for recognizing the futility of their situation and accepting that Fields was on the table in the process of linking him to a team that could potentially land him a s
tarting job.
