Why “doing right” by Justin Fields was a bad move

Justin Fields may have caused his trade value to tank according to one NFL insider

Justin Fields was traded almost a week ago. What the Bears got in return was extremely sparse. Whether you are a fan of Justin Fields or not, the return the Bears got for him was lackluster, to say the least.

A new report from ESPN’s Ian Rapoport states that Justin Fields may be to blame for the trade market surrounding him evaporating.

Rapoport says that Justin Fields reportedly wanted to go to Pittsburgh, and the Bears were content with sending him there. If the Steelers knew this that explains the poor compensation from Pittsburgh.

Important note on the Justin Fields trade: At least four additional teams inquired about trading for Fields, but Fields’ representation asked for him not to be traded there. He wanted the #Steelers, and the #Bears did right by him. https://t.co/jE65yV0jzm

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2024

Why “doing right” by Justin Fields was not the right move

When asked about the QB situation heading into the 2024 season, Ryan Poles said he wanted to “do right,” by Justin Fields. That meant sending Fields somewhere that he wanted to go.

“Again, it just depends on what opportunities pop up,” Poles said. “I will say this: I think you guys know me well enough now. If we do go down that road, I want to do right by Justin as well. No one wants to live in the gray. I know that’s uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation, either.”

That may be the best thing to do for the player and help build a player friendly culture. Which can be a good thing in certain situations.

But overall its not a good move on behalf of the team. “Doing right” by a player often means settling for poor trade compensation just to avoid upsetting the player. This means you trade away a player without getting proper compensation for him. That then leaves the team with a net loss.

Once the rest of the NFL read that Ryan Poles was going to “do right” by Fields, the jig was up. The second that statement was made all leverage the Bears had was gone. A fourth and a sixth round pick was probably as good as it was going to get.

If Ryan Poles and the Bears not been focused on “doing right” by Justin fields, they could have got better compensation. Teams like the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders currently don’t have starting caliber QBs. They also don’t have the capital to trade into the top 5 of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Bears probably could have gotten more than a fourth round pick from any of those teams in return for Fields. Those teams knew that the Bears were only looking to trade Fields where he wanted to go, so they moved on.

Why the poor compensation for Fields is okay in the long run

Luckily for the Bears, this is one of a few bad on paper moves by Ryan Poles. Poles has still been one of the best general managers the Bears have had in a long time. Poles essentially rebuilt the Bears with one single trade.

Trading the Bears 2023 first round pick to Carolina changed the Bears fortunes for the better. The haul Poles got in return from that trade has the Bears looking like a playoff team on paper for 2024.

Ryan Poles has been making great strides towards turning the Bears into a contender. If his two biggest misses are trading Justin Fields to Pittsburgh and trading for Chase Claypool, those are decent misses. There are GMs in Bears history who have made franchise harming decisions more than once. At this point in time, Ryan Poles has not made one of those.

Only time will tell how important this trade really was. If Caleb Williams becomes the franchise QB everyone thinks he can be, no harm done. But if Justin Fields goes on to become a perennial pro bowler in Pittsburgh, this trade may need to be reassessed in the future.

As of right now this trade isn’t the best, but doesn’t seem like it will hinder the franchises push towards contention. Trading Fields is a big move, hopefully it pays off in the long run.