A recent report suggests that Justin Fields may not have received a trade to his favored destination. The quarterback is now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, having been traded ahead of the NFL Draft, in which the Chicago Bears are anticipated to pick Caleb Williams.
ESPN’s Brook Pryor speculated that the enmity between the Bears and the Minnesota Vikings may have escalated because the latter was one of four teams Fields offered general manager Ryan Poles when it became evident he would be transferred.
Poles was eager to send Fields to one of his preferred destinations, and he eventually did it since the Steelers were also on his list. However, it is reasonable to think that the quarterback would have chosen Minnesota over Pittsburgh because they have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Justin Jefferson.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons were the other clubs on the list. Pryor reported,
“The Steelers were one of four teams on Fields’ radar prior to the start of free agency, along with the Vikings, Raiders and Falcons, a source familiar with Fields’ thinking said,”
Justin Fields would have obviously cost much less than the quarterback that the Vikings are set to draft
Getting Fields would have complicated matters for Minnesota, but it would still be less than whatever they plan to use to choose a quarterback.
Earlier this summer, the Minnesota Vikings traded two second-round picks and a sixth to the Houston Texans for the No. 23 overall pick. They are now anticipated to combine that with their No. 11 pick in an attempt to move up in the draft and grab one of the top quarterback prospects.
A conditional fifth-round pick would have likely been enough to close the deal with the Bears, as the Steelers ended up giving up a sixth-round pick.