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Bears trade Justin Fields to Steelers
Justin Fields. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Bears trade Justin Fields to Steelers

Justin Fields has a new home. 

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Pittsburgh Steelers have completed a trade with the Chicago Bears for much-maligned quarterback Justin Fields. 

The Bears will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick, which can turn into a fourth-rounder based on playing time, per ESPN's Adam Schefter

For the Steelers, it's another bold move at quarterback, signaling a change in philosophy for general manager Omar Khan. After putting all their eggs in the Kenny Pickett basket the past two seasons, Pittsburgh has traded the former first-round pick while acquiring both Wilson and Fields. 

Meanwhile, the Steelers have transformed their quarterback room for a day-three draft pick and a mere $1.2M

The move to add Fields isn't to push Wilson, though. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Wilson will start for the Steelers, while Fields will back him up. 

Saturday's trade ends a short but tumultuous era in Chicago for Fields, who never found his footing after being chosen with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.  

Fields did show glimpses of becoming an elite dual-threat signal-caller. In 2022, he set the single-game rushing record by a quarterback (178 yards) and became the first ever to throw for three or more TDs and rush for 140 yards or more in a single game. 

However, those flashes of brilliance never translated into wins. Over three seasons as the starter, he went just 10-28— a record that would look much worse if he hadn't won four of his final six games with Chicago. 

Finally, Fields's departure to the Steelers all but guarantees the Bears will use the No. 1 pick in April to select a quarterback. The only question that remains now is whether it will be USC standout and consensus top pick Caleb Williams or someone else.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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