Could the New York Jets make a run at Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields this offseason? NFL insider Benjamin Allbright thinks so.
When an X poster asked Allbright about Fields’ status, Allbright said he heard a rumor that the Jets might pursue a trade for Fields in order to have him as Aaron Rodgers’ backup in 2024.
The Bears are widely expected to trade Fields after the season, as they will have the No. 1 pick in this spring’s NFL Draft courtesy of the Carolina Panthers. The general consensus is that Chicago will take a quarterback like USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye with the top overall selection, which would leave Fields out in the cold.
Potential trade suitors for Fields have already been mentioned, with some speculating that the Las Vegas Raiders could attempt to swing a deal for the Ohio State product.
But would the Jets do this? It doesn’t seem to make all that much sense.
The Bears aren’t just going to give Fields away. They are going to trade him for a late-round pick. They would probably want something like a third-rounder for Fields (at least), and you would think New York would aim to use that pick on a player that could immediately help the team contend.
After all, Rodgers is 40 years old, and he is entering the back half of a two-year deal with the Jets. Taking that into consideration, using valuable assets on a backup quarterback doesn’t seem to jive with New York’s current timeline with Rodgers under center.
Fields is now in his third NFL season and is coming off of an impressive performance in a Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in which he went 20-for-32 with 268 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards and a score.
On the season overall, the 24-year-old has made 12 starts (he missed four games due to a thumb injury) and has thrown for 2,414 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 85.8. In addition, he has rushed for 630 yards while reaching the end zone four times.
While Fields has shown some flashes of brilliance, things have not exactly worked out for the youngster in the Windy City. Inconsistency has been the hallmark of Fields’ Bears tenure, and he has gone just 10-27 as a starter.
The Jets could certainly use a better backup for Rodgers, but it seems fairly unlikely that they would give up a whole lot in a trade to acquire one.
Justin Fields probably isn’t the answer here.
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