After giving up on the Kenny Pickett experiment following two uninspiring seasons, the Steelers were seeking an answer at quarterback heading into 2024. Instead of investing heavily in the position, the Steelers went after two of the cheaper options on the market: a trade for former Chicago Bears starter Justin Fields, and signing the recently-released Russell Wilson. That wound up being a pretty contentious (and failed) strategy, but we now know the final outcome of the Fields trade.

Original terms of the Justin Fields trade

Steelers receive: QB Justin Fields
Bears receive: 2025 sixth-round pick

Once the NFL Draft order was set following the 2024 season, that pick slotted in 202 overall.

What did the Bears do with the pick from the Justin Fields trade?

Chicago received a sixth-round pick (202) as compensation for Justin Fields. The Bears then flipped that pick to the Los Angeles Rams for guard Jonah Jackson earlier this offseason.

We’ll still update when the Rams make the pick at 202.

How was Justin Fields’ performance for the Steelers?

With Russell Wilson recovering from an injury and missing the majority of training camp and preseason, the Steelers rolled out Justin Fields to start the 2024 season. Things went pretty well, as Fields led the Steelers to a 4-2 record, passed for over 1,100 yards and 5 TDs to just 1 INT, and added another 289 yards and 5 TDs on the ground.

Fields was then unceremoniously benched for Wilson heading into Week 7 — a controversial move among the media and fans, given Fields’ success. That initially looked like a good call, as Wilson came out hot and led a four-game winning streak, but he collapsed down the stretch as the Steelers finished 10-7 and were thumped by the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round.

Who won the Justin Fields trade between the Steelers and Bears?

This was a very low-stakes trade for both sides, as the Bears basically gave Fields away for peanuts. The Steelers did have to pick up Fields’ base salary of $3.23M, but otherwise only had to pay a sixth-rounder for his services.

This could have been a home run for the Steelers, given the trajectory of Fields’ play over his first six games in Pittsburgh. Acquiring a starting quarterback for that type of pick and financial investment would’ve been quite savvy. Instead, things were dampened a bit by Pittsburgh’s contentious decision to hand the reins to Russell Wilson partway through the season. As a result, things are a bit muddier.

Even though the Fields trade wasn’t a slam dunk like it could’ve been, it’s hard to say the Steelers lost here. They still got ~6 games of starting-caliber quarterback play for a low price. That’s good!

They also are projected to get a fourth-round compensatory pick for Fields after he signed a nice contract with the Jets this offseason.

The other side of the coin is that the Bears were able to take a late pick and flip it for a starting offensive lineman in Jonah Jackson. Obviously, we won’t know how that worked out for at least another year, but you have to think Chicago is happy with how things turned out.

Given all of that, I think both teams were winners in this situation. The Steelers got value of out Fields, and the Bears got value out of the pick.

WINNER: EVERYONE