Oddsmakers now favor Justin Fields to land on this team (and it's not the Bears)
Oddsmakers now favor Justin Fields to land on this team (and it's not the Bears) originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
As trade rumors surrounding Justin Fields continue to surge, oddsmakers now have betting favorite on which team he'll land on next season. And it's not the Chicago Bears.
As of Tuesday, Feb. 13, Fields is most-likely to play under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2024-25 regular season at -125 odds on DraftKings SportsBook. The odds of Fields remaining with the Bears are +200.
This shift was likely fueled by a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter, who appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" this week.
"We know the Pittsburgh [Steelers] is gonna go out and get some type of quarterback," Schefter said. "Whether that's Ryan Tannehill, whether that's Russell Wilson, whether that's Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin's a big fan of Justin Fields. We'll keep that in mind during the offseason and the coming weeks."
The Steelers recently cut former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, and head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear that Kenny Pickett, who had a subpar sophomore season throwing just over 2,000 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games, will have to compete for the starting job.
If the Bears decide to draft Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall, most reports indicate the Bears could return at least a second-round pick for Fields. Some suggest a first-round pick could be in play.
"The consensus in an informal poll of league evaluators is that Fields would be worth a second- or third-round pick in a pre-draft trade," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said in early January.
On the other hand, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft appears to have tremendous value.
"If the Bears traded the first pick, the return could be immense," Fowler wrote. "Several executives agree Chicago could net more than it did in the Panthers trade, and from a prospective trade partner already picking in the top five. Those execs believe the price to get to No. 1 could be two future first-rounders on top of this year's pick, along with a variation of a Day 2 pick and/or a premium veteran player on a manageable contract."
Will the Steelers insert themselves in trade talks for Fields? The other quarterbacks they have an interest in are free agents, so the Bears will have to pick up the phone quicker than the new league year.
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