Overreaction Monday: Regrading the Justin Fields trade will make Bears fans sick

The Chicago Bears selected Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, paving the way for Fields to be their franchise quarterback.

He didn't get off to the best start as a 22-year-old, throwing seven touchdowns compared to ten interceptions in his first year as a pro. His second season saw him improve a ton, throwing for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions despite his offensive line allowing him to be sacked 55 times. More impressively, he ran for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns that season, leading to a top-10 MVP finish as a second-year quarterback.

Despite the team around him being one of the worst in the league, Fields was steadily improving and it seemed as though the Bears would roll with him going forward. Until the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft fell into their laps, forcing them to choose between Fields and the shiny new toy, Caleb Williams at the top of the class.

Chicago would choose Williams, swiftly trading Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and building a loaded roster around their young quarterback.

Let's check in on how that trade is aging.

NFL Trade Regrade: Bears send Justin Fields to Pittsburgh where he's thriving

The Bears received a 2025 sixth-round draft pick that could potentially become a fourth-rounder in return for Fields.

Fields figured to be the backup in Pittsburgh, but after an injury to Russell Wilson, Fields has been the starter for all three games in 2024 and the Steelers are 3-0.

Through three games, Fields has thrown for 518 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He's run for an additional 90 yards and a score. The more impressive feature of his game can't be found on the stat sheet. Some of the throws that he's made have been incredibly impressive, showing flashes of his days at Ohio State.

So let's talk through a hypothetical for the Bears for a second.

If they had chosen to go with Fields instead of Williams, they could have gotten a huge haul of draft capital in return. The season before, Chicago received DJ Moore, two first-rounders and two second-rounders for the top pick in the draft which ended up being Bryce Young. Williams was regarded even higher than Young, meaning the trade value of that pick would have been incredible.

Chicago could have moved back a few picks and selected Marvin Harrison Jr. as well as another player like Brock Bowers or Amarius Mims later in the first round. They also would have gotten multiple other picks or players of DJ Moore's caliber in the trade.

All in all, it's just a hypothetical. Nobody knows what would have happened if Chicago kept Fields. Williams has looked up and down in three starts, but he just eclipsed 300 passing yards and threw for a few touchdowns in his third career game.

Ultimately, the decision to trade Fields wasn't a terrible one by the Bears. They just should have gotten more for him in a deal.

Steelers trade grade: A+

Bears trade grade: C