A big move Friday afternoon just opened up a landing spot for Justin Fields
The Justin Fields trade market has been less than fruitful. It is debatable whether or not the Bears have actively been shopping Fields. One thing is certain, nearly every predicted landing spot for Fields filled its quarterback needs early on in free agency.
One of those potential landing spots that filled their QB hole early was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just one day into free agency the Steelers agreed to a one-year deal with Russell Wilson. The Steelers seemed to remove themselves from the quarterback market for the season with this move. This was the case until Friday afternoon when the Steelers traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Eagles.
Trading away Pickett now leaves the Steelers with Wilson as the only QB on the roster. With the Steelers now on the market for a backup QB, Justin Fields could be one of their primary targets.
The Steelers are shipping Kenny Pickett off to the Eagles, per @AdamSchefter.
With that move, the Steelers have one, and only one, quarterback on the current roster: Russell Wilson.
They need a backup.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) March 15, 2024
Another reason why the Steelers may make a move for Justin Fields
The Steelers may be in on Justin Fields because of Russell Wilson.
The Steelers have almost nothing invested in Russell Wilson for the 2024 NFL season. Wilson will be paid $1.2 million by the Steelers this upcoming season. If he doesn’t pan out, no harm, no foul. Pittsburgh will not be in a bad spot if Wilson doesn’t work out for them. They could double down on that by signing Justin Fields.
Fields is also on a one year deal and is set to make $1.6 million in base salary in 2024. The Two QB’s combined are worth a total combined salary less than $3 million. Both QBs are also in “prove it” situations, where they have to prove to a team that they deserve a new contract. That is an elite position to be in, especially when your roster needs as much work as Pittsburgh’s.
By having Wilson and Fields as their QBs in 2024, the Steelers can address other areas of need. For example, the Steelers can now target another wide receiver or offensive line reinforcements. The money the Steelers are saving at QB could greatly help them fast track their “re-tooling” phase.
What is Justin Fields worth at this point?
It appears teams aren’t clamoring to trade for Justin Fields. This means his value around the league is seen as much lower than what the Bears may be asking for.
If Fields is to be a backup, he will get backup level compensation. There will be no “haul” in return for Justin Fields at this point. It is likely that Fields could fetch a second round pick at best and maybe a fourth. It is hard to guess on Fields value because of how active the QB market has been early on in this free agency period.
Pittsburgh had seven total picks in the 2024 NFL draft. They have pick 19 and 20 in the fourth round, one of which they may be willing to trade. They also hold pick number 19 in the second round and pick number 30 in the third round. A combination of those picks is what the Steelers may offer in return for Justin Fields
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