Dec 4, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears are going to trade quarterback Justin Fields at some point this offseason, that’s the prevailing wisdom across the NFL, presuming general manager Ryan Poles can find an interested trade partner.
“Go and get Justin Fields #Seahawks …. I have been saying it all day. You have one QB on the roster. Let him compete.” Riddick posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
While the market for Fields hasn’t quite met the expectations the Bears might have harbored before the offseason began—particularly following the Atlanta Falcons’ move to sign Kirk Cousins despite earlier rumors of interest in Fields—Seattle emerges as a plausible option.
Why Justin Fields to the Seahawks Makes Sense
With several teams who began the offseason in the market for starting quarterbacks looking in different directions, Justin Fields may be forced to settle for a situation where he’d spend a season either as a quality backup or enter a competition for the starting job during training camp.
The Seahawks are bringing Geno Smith back, despite an injury-riddled and inconsistent 2023 season that saw the veteran pass for 3,624 yards with 20 touchdowns to nine interceptions but fail to lead Seattle to the postseason in the hyper-competitive NFC West.
Justin Fields’ mobility, and after showing signs of improving from the pocket last season, offer long-term upside if he can beat out Smith for the starting job. Likewise, should Smith go down, Fields has plenty of experience to step in and execute the offense at a high level, if needed.
Smith has no guaranteed money beyond the 2024 season, so Fields could conceivably emerge as a potential long-term solution for the Seahawks, as well.
Matt Lombardo is a seasoned NFL reporter, with over 12 years of experience covering the league.
In addition to his work at Gridiron Heroics, Lombardo covers the NFL for Heavy.com, is an on air sports contributor for FOX29 Philadelphia, and writes an NFL Substack "Between The Hashmarks."
Lombardo is the former Senior NFL Insider of FanBuzz, and prior to taking that role was a national NFL reporter at FanSided where he hosted a weekly podcast "The Matt Lombardo Show."
A former beat reporter for NJ Advance Media (Parent company of NJ.com and the Newark Star Ledger), Lombardo covered the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011 through the 2017 season before moving to cover the New York Giants for the Star Ledger for two seasons from 2018 through 2020.
During his career to date, Lombardo has covered five Super Bowls, four NFL Drafts, multiple NFL Combines, and has had his work frequently featured in publications such as Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, and more.
In addition to his journalism work, Lombardo is a strong on air presence and is a former sports talk radio host on 97.5 FM The Fanatic, Philadelphia's first FM Sports Station and the radio home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers.