OT: Bears trade Justin Fields to Steelers for pack of toilet paper and a bag of chips
I guess now it can be assumed that Chicago is taking a QB, most likely Caleb Williams unless they do something crazy and take JJ (hope to god not).
Chicago has now wasted their pick from 3 years ago, and to be honest I think Justin Fields in a better organization (Steelers definitely are) could be pretty good.
I guess Pittsburgh now won't be taking a QB, and will plan on Fields sitting behind Russell Wilson for a year which is honestly not a bad plan.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:55 PM ^
I think Fields is a lower-floor, higher-ceiling compared to Russ, so hopefully he hits his ceiling and gives you guys a 4th.
Crazy the career trajectory Claypool has had. He legit might be out of the league this year after just 4 years. What a dumbass.
Fields wows a lot of people with highlight runs, but whatever he gives you in the run game doesn't come close to offsetting the negatives.
Obviously, he's had his issues passing (167 yards per game in his career, only one 300-yd passing game, and only 13 career 200-yd games in 40 starts), but turnovers have been the biggest issue. He's only had 40 TDs with 30 INTs. And the real killer -- 38 fumbles in 40 games. As bad as he is at reading defenses and anticipating throws, his pocket awareness is even worse. That's also what leads to his injuries. He's good at avoiding contact when he runs, but in the pocket he holds the ball longer than anyone in the NFL -- and that's where he gets beat up.
But again, he's a great kid, and I really do think he tried his hardest. Teammates loved him. Coaches and media loved him. He just never improved on the things he wasn't good at. His (slightly) increased production last year was more of a result of having more talent and a better line than it was him improving.
Fellow Bears fan here. He needed an organization and coach that could potentially tap into his skill set, but yeah those issues plagued him the entire time and didn't get better. I think of that terrible MNF game that the Bears won, but he fumbled twice in the 4th Q when the Vikings couldn't get anything going on offense and almost cost them the game.
I feel bad for Caleb Williams.
Draft breakdown after draft breakdown has concluded that this guy’s ceiling is in the stratosphere… as long as he gets some solid coaching to clean up his fundamentals. I’ve seen people present his footwork as somewhere between “awful” and “barely workable”. I’ve seen his ability to read a defense as anything from “bad” to “ok I guess”.
Seems like the Bears are just going to YOLO him onto the field, and he’s going to have to learn an entire playbook at the same time as he’s learning the finer points of NFL quarterbacking.
QBs can be broken. Between running for his life and not understanding what defenses are doing and trying to remember to plant his back foot at just the right moment…dude, it took Patrick f’ing Mahomes a year behind Alex Smith to become Patrick f’ing Mahomes.
+1 yolo lulz. What I heard: Bears concede north in March.
Drafting Williams #1 will be a huge mistake, which seems very Bears.
Keeping Fields would be a mistake also. And the QB prospects in the draft next year aren't great (meaning a trade back isn't appealing). So, the Bears don't have many options. Rolling the dice on a guy some experts throw the annoying "generational QB" label on is the most logical decision.
March 16th, 2024 at 10:44 PM ^
Who even is the “next guy(s) up” for 2025? For the last few years (exception of 2022 draft) we have basically known who will be the #1 pick in the next draft already. We all knew Lawrence would go #1 a year prior, same for Bryce Young or Stroud in 2023, and Williams in 2024.
I can’t even think of who it may be? Is it really Sheduer Sanders as the clear cut top QB for next years draft?
March 16th, 2024 at 11:11 PM ^
Ewers
Tuttle.
Me--Clarence Boddicker.
I'm ready for the League. Is the League ready for me?
heard you have a 'cannon' for an arm....
and you hit like a grenade going off...
March 16th, 2024 at 10:49 PM ^
They would have been a lot better off trying to get Wilson. He is sort of the anti-Fields.
I actually like the Bears newest GM. He's the only GM I've liked in my lifetime. He seems to believe that until you draft your franchise QB, you don't want to half-heartedly push for the playoffs by wrapping yourself up with long term contracts just to attract FAs. The goal is to find a QB in the draft, capitalize on that rookie deal, and then spend money. If you go the other route, you end up in NFL purgatory -- not being a serious contender, while not getting good draft picks -- like the recent Vikings teams with Cousins.
March 17th, 2024 at 11:11 AM ^
You shouldn’t be “rolling the dice”with the #1 overall pick. If they didn’t like Fields, they could’ve drafted Stroud last year. They traded the pick instead. They blew that one and now they’re going to blow this one. It’s why they’re the Bears.
Trading the #1 last year was a brilliant move. Up until Stroud started games in the NFL, no one would've taken him over Caleb Williams if given the choice. The return that the Bears got for that trade was huge. If Caleb Williams pans out, it'll be one of the biggest trade hauls since Ricky Williams and Herschel Walker.
Not unless the Bears have an opportunity to make an even more huge mistake.
Pro tip: Don't feel bad for a young man who gets to make tens/hundreds of millions of dollars playing a game because their genetics lined up just right. It's a serious waste of your "feel bads."
March 16th, 2024 at 10:06 PM ^
As long as the Bears pay Caleb enough to buy lots of nail paint to write words on his fingernails, he’ll be just fine.
Are the bag of chips kettle cooked? That would make it a good trade.
A party-size bag of Cape Cod's.
The kind with sea salt?
Yep.
And VINEGAR ftw
love you SSA, but passing on vinegar. yech. too canadian/english. yech.
March 16th, 2024 at 11:21 PM ^
Vinegar chips are good when you need to cut the richness of something, like a grilled cheese. Dill pickle potato chips are also excellent.
No. Wise Onion/Garlic. Simply the best...
Jalapeno Krunchers. Those were the bomb back in the day.
March 17th, 2024 at 10:01 AM ^
Barbecue Krunchers from before they sold out to Jays. I like spicy but the jalapeño were just not tasty enough for me.
The Bears are the worst. And I still love them.
Perhaps the personalities and egos wouldn't be able to withstand it, but from a football perspective it seems like Chicago should have just kept Fields and drafted Williams. Even if it turns into a 4th rounder (and I kind of think it will) it's still not that great a haul.
I'm not even sure if Russ can handle acquiring Fields. I assume this story of Fields being the clear #2 is to keep Russ from freaking out right now. I'm sure Russ will also be the starter on opening day, but I'm less sure it stays that way.
Fields comes off his rookie contract in a year. Do you pay him in the second contract if he isn't the future? Or do you move him, get scraps instead of letting him walk, and go bsck to the draft and try again? Tough call for the front office.
March 16th, 2024 at 10:19 PM ^
That's the problem. Fields had moments, but you couldn't say for sure that he was the QB to lead the Bears to prosperity. When you have the #1 pick two years in a row and pass up a QB for Fields twice, you better be sure he's the answer.
Therefore, the prudent move is to restart the financial clock, even though none of the 4 QBs are sure things.
March 16th, 2024 at 10:23 PM ^
If it ends up as a 4th rounder it's not totally worthless. If it's a 6th I'd rather have him either to start before Williams is ready or at least as a backup because good backups are good to have. But as I said, it probably just doesn't work in the locker room regardless so I get moving him.
March 17th, 2024 at 12:12 PM ^
https://twitter.com/DangeRussWilson/status/1769157434499793016
Seems like they're actually really excited to play together. You don't see posts like this much from players who are headed to the same team for the same job
Poles said he wanted to do right by Fields and give Fields a shot to land somewhere he felt comfortable going to. Once Atlanta was off the table, Pittsburgh was probably his best option. Fields had to go, or the locker room would be split. This gives Caleb Williams the best opportunity to succeed. It would've been brutal (especially in Chicago) for Williams to come in and struggle early. The masses would be calling for Justin to start again. Just like they were calling for Bagent to start over Fields.
Justin Fields would've beaten Detroit twice if the team didn't crap the bed here. I guess that's why they need the toilet paper.
Chicago is going to look stupid in three years when Caleb leaves to go back to LA and Justin Fields is playing at an elite level. Yes, I believe Chicago is making a mistake.
Detroit was the only team consistently let Fields play the style he wanted to play. They would come after him and play man coverage. That gave him 1 on 1 matchups (basically the only scenario he had success as a passer) and it turned the backs of the DBs to allow him to scramble. Detroit would try to spy, but Fields can cook a spy in space. I was baffled that Detroit kept the same approach each game.
I wonder how Russell Wilson feels about this.
Does he have a problem? If he does, he can go home and cry and bitch about it to Ciara.
What has he shown in the last two years that warrants him having a starting job in the NFL? Much less be considered a GOOD NFL QB? Not an elite QB. Not a great QB. Just a good QB. What has he shown that says he can even be Kirk Cousins in this league anymore?
NFL is dog eat dog. Show me why you should start and if you can’t, the next guy will. Show me why you should even have a roster spot and if you can’t, there’s three guys on my practice squad who will slit your throat for the opportunity.
Honestly if I’m the Steelers, I start Fields if the season starts today. Fields may not be a great NFL QB, but he’s an elite athlete and seems to be a good teammate.
When Marshawn Lynch questions you as a teammate, that says something about something.
Fields should start
So should we assume Kenny Pickett is out of a job?
They just drafted him two years ago but the Steelers just picked up two QBs who were starters in the league this past year. Pickett HAS to be the odd man out.
Not that he’s shown much to justify him getting to keep his job, but still, it feels a smidge early to give up on him.
You mean the Kenny Pickett who was traded to the Eagles on Friday?
I think his job as backup to Jalen Hurts is still firm. ;)
March 16th, 2024 at 10:12 PM ^
Ah. Duly noted.
Neg away, folks!
Ha. Title says it all!
Fields getting to sit behind Russell Wilson for a year could be a great plan for the future.
March 16th, 2024 at 10:31 PM ^
As a Lions fan, I'm very happy to see Fields go away! He was a constant pain in the ass to the Lions.
March 16th, 2024 at 10:36 PM ^
Will preface by saying I don't really follow the Bears but it seemed to me that while Fields wasn't the problem, he also wasn't the solution.