By Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor
(Source Chicago Defender):
They finally did it. After months of speculation, the Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields.
According to ESPN, the team dealt the signal caller to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 sixth-round pick. That pick can convert to a fourth-rounder if Fields plays 51% of snaps this upcoming season.
With Saturday’s trade, the Bears will likely draft University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams as Fields’s replacement with the No. 1 overall pick.
The move finally resolves what ultimately became the NFL offseason question: Will they do with Fields, a player they drafted to be the franchise savior back in 2021?
In the eyes of some observers, Chicago’s return for one of the league’s most athletically dynamic signal callers was a pittance.
In moving on from Fields, the Bears will avoid the increased financial commitment that would come with keeping the quarterback, who will enter his fourth season. That obligation could soon be passed onto the Steelers, who will add Fields to a quarterback room that features the recently signed Russell Wilson.
According to reports, Fields will serve as Wilson’s backup. The two will likely compete for the starting job in training camp later this summer. Yet, when news of the trade broke, Wilson took to X to greet his newest teammate.
Moreover, whether Wilson or Fields wins the job, either will become the seventh Black player to start as the Steelers’ quarterback. The others are Joe Gilliam, Jr., Kordell Stewart, Charlie Batch, Michael Vick, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon.
As for his departure from Chicago, Fields will still have quite a few fans rooting for him from afar.
