In trading Justin Fields to the Bears, did Ryan Poles make the right decision?
Bears general manager Ryan Poles reportedly went above and above his job description to “do right by” Justin Fields. This was something the general manager of the Bears had to do since he didn’t want his quarterback to be “in the gray.” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that once Fields was informed he was being traded, he received what he truly desired. According to the source, the Steelers received trade inquiries for Fields from at least four other teams. Nevertheless, Fields’ agents requested that he be dealt to the Steelers rather than the other teams, so Poles completed the deal with Pittsburgh.
The story merely states that the Bears enquired about a trade; it makes no mention of the other clubs’ offers being superior.
Still, it sounds like Poles did everything in their power to please Fields. Actually, according to a different story from Courtney Cronin and Brooke Pryor for ESPN, five clubs made offers in addition to the Steelers, with one of those teams wanting higher draft capital. Nevertheless, Fields and his team pursued the Pittsburgh scenario, and the Bears chose to comply with Fields’ requests. He will serve as Russell Wilson’s backup. Wilson hasn’t been the same player in Seattle the last three seasons.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that the Steelers intend to extend Wilson’s contract beyond one season and will make an offer that would last for several years. Fields would then find himself in a difficult situation.
If Fields was sent where he desired by the Bears, then the question that has to be asked is: Did the organization do the right thing by sending him somewhere where they didn’t receive as much in return for the trade?
Naturally, it’s always plausible that Minnesota was the club giving more because the stories don’t name the teams or their real salaries. It was impossible to hold the Bears responsible for not wanting Fields in the division.