The Chicago Bears front office was bashed mercilessly in the wake of Saturday’s Justin Fields trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And, on paper, it was tough to defend them against the attacks.
Chicago sent their 25-year-old quarterback and former first-round pick Fields to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2025 (that could turn into a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51% of the offensive snaps this coming season). That’s, almost literally, nothing.
The Value of Making The Fields Trade
But there may be more value to this trade than what’s merely acquired on paper. It’s been argued that by “doing right by” Fields– something which reportedly included rejecting better trade offers in order to let Fields and his representatives hand-choose his landing spot– general manager Ryan Poles and the entire team earned a degree of respect that will help them for years to come.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic makes the case that the Bears helped themselves more with this player-supportive move than if they had tried to play hardball for a bit more of a return.
“The Bears’ grade gets a boost on sentiment,” Howe wrote. “No, general manager Ryan Poles can’t feed his family on sentimentality, but that does go a long way with players…
“They did right by Fields, and players will take notice and appreciate that. It may not pay immediate dividends in the win-loss column, but players notice when they’re treated like humans and not assets. If the Bears’ upward trajectory continues and remains sustainable, that’ll be something referenced as they work to establish a new culture. The Bears deserve some credit for that.”
Chicago Bears Set The Tone For Winning Culture
In short, Chicago’s move may have cost them a small amount of draft capital, but it may help them down the line when it comes to player relations in every area from clubhouse contentment to free agency signings.
“We have engaged in multiple trade conversations in recent weeks and believe trading Justin at this time to Pittsburgh is what is best for both Justin and the Bears,” Poles said in a team statement after the Fields trade was announced. “Today we spoke to Justin to inform him of the trade and the rationale behind it for us as a club. We want to thank him for his tireless dedication, leadership and all he poured into our franchise and community the last three years and wish him the best towards a long and successful NFL career.”
If establishing a winning culture is the Bears’ ultimate goal, then maybe it WAS worth a little draft capital and some negative media commentary to help set that tone.