Why Fields wasn’t scooped by other teams largely centers on his one year of rookie contract control, which features a fifth-year option that will be set at $25.6 million.
Jason Fitz is joined by Senior NFL Reporters Jori Epstein and Charles Robinson to go behind the scenes on the biggest news around NFL free agency. The trio start off with the news that the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons are under investigation for their tampering in the signings of Saquon Barkley and Kirk Cousins, respectively. In other news, Desmond Ridder was traded to the Arizona Cardinals (and may be part of the team's long-term plans), and Calvin Ridley got a massive contract with the Tennessee Titans. The Eagles never pay big money for running backs, but they bucked that trend by signing former New York Giant Saquon Barkley. The trio do a deep dive on how this came about, and Jori outlines the Eagles' thought process as to why Barkley was the right guy to go after. Later, Charles takes us through the huge ripple effects left by Kirk Cousins' contract, as Justin Fields will now likely have to accept a backup role this season (and Charles has a new favorite landing spot), and quarterbacks who are negotiating extensions (Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff in particular) just saw their price tag go up.
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz, Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein explore the potential tampering violations surrounding the signings of quarterback Kirk Cousins in Atlanta and Saquon Barkley in Philadelphia. Hear the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” - part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
It’s certainly not the obvious choice that the starting jobs of the Falcons and Steelers represented only a week ago. But the obvious path is gone for Fields and the Bears. Now is when things get creative.
The Bears' trade market for Fields got even frostier as the Falcons bowed out of being a potential suitor.
Like J.J. McCarthy, Nix and Penix each have very strong differing opinions about them. Unlike McCarthy, they don’t have the elements of age or a forecasted high ceiling working in their favor.
One personnel man noted that he saw Caleb Williams gravitate toward Odunze on more than one occasion this week, a reality that has likely fed into buzz that the Bears could maneuver to pair Odunze with Williams.
As one agent said this week: “Players are making better decisions when they only have something minimal, or nothing, to gain."
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and senior NFL insider Charles Robinson discuss the rumors that some NFL teams are souring on the North Carolina quarterback, and the former favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick could fall in the first round. Hear the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” - part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.