Is Kirk Cousins impacting the Justin Fields trade market for Bears?
As the 2024 NFL scouting combine comes to a close this weekend, the Chicago Bears have yet to find a trade partner for quarterback Justin Fields. The vibes around Indianapolis have been that the Bears are likely going to take Caleb Williams No. 1 overall come April’s draft. If they do that, they will need to find a trade partner for Fields. And right now, they don’t have one at least publicly.
With that, many around the league believe that the market for Fields isn’t very robust. A big reason for that could be that teams don’t value Fields as high as fans do. The market for quarterbacks who are set to be free agents and even this upcoming draft class play a factor too. And that includes Kirk Cousins.
The quarterback is set to be a free agent in a few weeks and it’s possible he could leave Minnesota, as there is expected to be a market for him. That is also impacting Justin Fields and someone close to the Vikings believes that way as well.
Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen revealed that he heard at the NFL combine that the Atlanta Falcons prefer Kirk Cousins to Justin Fields:
“Right before I left [Indy] yesterday, from somebody I really really trust, I was told Atlanta prefers Cousins over Fields and quite honestly it’s not close.”
Now, Allen is pretty plugged in with the Vikings and probably is a credible source. The Falcons have made it known they are in the market for a quarterback and despite comments that sounded like Fields is their biggest target, this puts a wrench in things.
What does this mean for Justin Fields?
It’s hard keeping all of these rumors straight. You hear that a team is very interested in Fields and then later that day it’s either debunked or another insider reports something different. Right now, the teams that have popped up in connection with Fields remain the same: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and even Las Vegas to some extent.
Tony Pauline wrote on the Fields’ situation, once again connecting them to the Falcons:
Word in Indianapolis is the Chicago Bears are close to finalizing a deal which would send former first-round pick Justin Fields to the Atlanta Falcons
It is not known if the deal will be finalized or even announced before the conclusion of the Combine. As I reported on Thursday, if the Falcons can’t come to terms with the Bears for Fields they will turn their attention to Baker Mayfield if he’s available when free agency commences.
That was late debunked by Adam Schefter in his latest report out from Indianapolis. See how this is going so far?
“I think Atlanta will be something of a surprise right now to trade for Justin Fields,” Schefter said. “There’s been some conversation about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe something can be figured out there.”
However, the market doesn’t appear to be a big one for Fields at this moment which is a bad thing for the Bears as they leave Indianapolis. In terms of Cousins and Fields, teams may prioritize the veteran although he will cost more money as he could help them win quicker.That is likely the thinking for the Falcons in this situation, hoping to take that next step right away.
Fields should have a bigger market as he’s still on a rookie deal but has he proved he can take a team to the next level?
Buckle up, this is only the beginning of what should be a VERY busy next month or so leading into the 2024 NFL draft.
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