Would if make sense for the Rams to send a late-round draft pick or two to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Justin Fields? With the uncertainty currently surrounding the status of Fields and the ever-narrowing number of potential landing spots for him, there may be no time like the present for the Rams to strike.
L.A. Could Be an Ideal Destination for Justin Fields
A number of NFL commentators and analysts suggest the Rams are one of the few remaining teams on which it would make sense for Fields to end up.
Pro Football Network articulates reasons why the Rams and Fields would be a good fit:
Carson Wentz is a free agent. The team [has] yet to announce they’ve cleared Stetson Bennett to return from the non-football injury list. And as history suggests, head coach Sean McVay has worked well with former first-round QBs.
After all, his list includes inheriting Jared Goff, making the trade for Matthew Stafford, then adding [Baker] Mayfield before his renaissance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and more recently, signing Wentz. Perhaps L.A. can offer one or two of its sixth-round compensatory picks to Chicago in exchange for Fields.
Yardbarker concurs:
Rams head coach Sean McVay is known as a quarterback whisperer, so maybe he can get the most out of Fields?
Matthew Stafford is now 36 years old and seems to be getting closer and closer to retirement, especially with his injuries in recent years….
Fields could step in as Stafford’s backup for 2024 (and maybe 2025) and learn from both him and McVay. It would be a great situation for Fields if he has to take a reserve job somewhere.
Los Angeles drafts pretty well, so Fields could trust the franchise to surround him with appropriate weapons (like Puka Nacua, for example).
SB Nation has joined the chorus:
Matthew Stafford is entrenched as the starter in Los Angeles. But behind him, there are question marks. The team added Wentz during the season last fall, but he is now a free agent. The team drafted Stetson Bennett a year ago, but the former Georgia quarterback was placed on the reserve/non-football illness list last September and missed the year.
Head coach Sean McVay has worked some magic with new quarterbacks in the past — perhaps most recently with Baker Mayfield for a few games during the 2022 season — and Fields could be the next on that list.
If he were to join the Rams and serve in a backup role to Stafford, much of the pressure Fields has endured in Chicago would be lifted. And, he would be able to look forward to the prospect of succeeding Stafford, probably in the not-too-distant future.
Would It Be a Bad Thing for the Rams to Trade for Justin Fields?
Turf Show Times rhetorically asks, “[I]f the Rams had the chance to make a trade for Justin Fields, would that really be a bad thing?”
Think about it, having Fields learn from Stafford and Sean McVay could be the best thing to ever happen to his career.
Since being selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields has dealt with two coaching staffs, and had an inept offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy. Besides, Chicago is where a QB’s career goes to die. Da Bears have never developed a quality performer under center which is why they’re the Packers’ punching bag year after year.
The only way the Rams should even consider trading for the Ohio State product would be if the compensation is low. Rumors have been all over the place, yet the Bears are seemingly moving on. Per NFL Network analyst Adam Rank, Fields leaving the Windy City is likely a certainty by now.
Fields’ talent is undeniable. It seems reasonably probable that his talent could flourish in Los Angeles, if he’s given the opportunity.
Clamoring on Twitter
On social media, calls are going out with increasing frequency for the Rams to bring Justin Fields into the fold. For example, take a look at the following:
Fields may be the answer to the Rams’ unresolved QB2 situation. And, in light of his incredible talent, he could become the eventual successor to Stafford, particularly under the tutelage of Wunderkind Sean McVay.
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