Justin Fields almost did it. He almost flipped the script on his future with the Chicago Bears after two excellent games against Denver and Washington. Then, as is too often the case for him, he failed to maintain the momentum in a big divisional matchup. The Minnesota Vikings had him confused all day on Sunday with their rampant blitzing. He couldn’t get anything going through the air, took too many hits, and finally suffered the injury everybody knew was inevitable. Fields dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand. Pending an MRI, there is a strong possibility he will miss at least a month of action.
What little momentum he had is gone. The Bears are 1-5 with their season all but dead. It likely won’t matter what Fields does whenever he returns. GM Ryan Poles will have shifted his gaze to 2024, armed with two probable top-5 draft picks. He will plan on using one of them to find the team’s quarterback of the future. The only thing left to determine is what they do with Fields. A trade seems most likely since he still has one more affordable year left on his rookie contract.
Insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic believes this would be the most likely scenario.
“Bears trade QB Justin Fields to Falcons for 2024 second-round pick, 2025 conditional third-round pick and QB Taylor Heinicke
The Bears are tracking toward the No. 1 pick in the draft, either with their own selection or from the Panthers, so they’re in play for USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye. With major changes likely on the horizon again, it might be best to maximize Fields’ value. Meanwhile, the Falcons were linked to Fields (who’s from Kennesaw, Ga.) before the 2021 draft, and he seems like a pretty solid fit for Arthur Smith’s offense.
Fields’ thumb injury complicates this idea, but this would be more of a move with the future in mind. Desmond Ridder has been struggling, and Falcons coach Arthur Smith’s facial expressions Sunday after each interception said a lot about that situation.”
Justin Fields’ injury might be a blessing in disguise.
By going down last weekend, it preserved the visual of his eight touchdown passes against Denver and Washington. It was a glimpse into the possibility that Fields might be salvageable. All he needs is better coaching and a decent supporting cast. Atlanta has good reasons to think they offer both. So this trade makes perfect sense. Fields gets to go home to Georgia and play in a dome. Chicago gets two solid draft picks back, including a 2nd rounder to help build around the next guy.
This is not the result anybody wanted when the season began. Everybody hoped Justin Fields would turn the corner and become the franchise guy everybody expected. Sadly, poor coaching and his own deficiencies as a passer led to him becoming another in a long line of failures. Nobody can fault his effort. The guy demonstrated toughness, resiliency, and a tireless work ethic. It wasn’t enough. Maybe Atlanta would be able to resurrect some of that Ohio State magic. It’s clear he wasn’t the guy to save Chicago.
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