A Continuous Journey: 2024 NFL Offseason Thread

That's oversimplifying. And the fourth quarter is as over-rated as the ninth inning. CC @BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo

If you can be that good in the first quarter and not that good in the last, the rest of the team has a lot to do with that. I'm not a Fields shill, but after watching the Browns piss away a perfectly good quarterback, I think it's too early for the Bears to hit the eject button. He looked good against the Browns. He had one sure TD pass dropped by a guy he hit in stride and a Hail Mary that was in a guy's lap dropped as well. With all the draft capital they have -- and could have more of if they got out of No. -- they could overcome a lot of deficiencies quickly. There is no Andrew Luck, Joe Burrow or even Trevor Lawrence in this draft. But there's a shit ton of seemingly can't-miss guys all over the field elsewhere.

 

I don't think Fields is as terrible as his critics do, but I don't think he's all that good, either, and judging from the nonexistent market for the guy, many in the NFL agree with me. If the Bears think Williams can be better than middling (which I believe is Fields' ceiling), then they made the right move. If Williams fails, well, there's always room for another headstone in the Bears' quarterbacks virtual cemetery.

 

The market for Fields had far more to do with what he was/is due to be paid for a guy who may in fact not be very good. Risk/reward and the risk is far too high. It's amazing how quickly teams will move on from high draft picks.

 

Its true. Teams can talk about "the upside," "ceiling" and other skills a draft prospect has - their greatest real asset is their low cost in comparison to post-rookie deal FAs. I'm not sure there are more than one or two in this draft who would beat out Fields in a qb competition - but they have a lower cost going forward.

Interesting thinking about the "lineage" of the Jalen Hurts - Tua - Baker Mayfield - Kyler Murray - Caleb Williams grouping. Hurts was "pushed out" of Bama, and may be the most successful of the rest who have been labeled as "can't miss."

 

It’s especially true with QBs. Once that second contract kicks in the value is lost.

As a Dallas fan I think they are going to let Dak play out this season and take the dead cap in 2025.

 

There are players who wilt with the game on the line and players who focus in those same situations. Based on the available evidence so far, which I admit is limited, Fields is the former. That is why I'm not a fan of jettisoning Pickett and acquiring Fields. I do believe those moves were linked, that the Steelers knew they were getting Fields when they dealt Pickett.

It made sense for the Bears to move Fields if they got a decent price, but that didn't happen. That said, I think Baker Mayfield had shown more when the Browns let him go than Fields has shown so far. Mayfield showed promise as a rookie, and after a rough second season, he took a big step forward in 2020. He struggled in 2021, but most of that was trying to play through an injury that hampered his ability to throw. Fields has made some progress, but as a passer, he still isn't even up to Mayfield's level in 2020.

 

I think falling back on "the league" as evidence of anything is dangerous. "The league" is filled with slapdicks who will be out of a job in three years or less. The Steelers are supposedly a smart organization. They wanted him. Is that a good or bad thing for Fields?

 

Was Murray labeled "can't miss"? I seem to remember he was considered something of a gamble because of his lack of size.

 

They wanted him for a sixth-rounder, and on his rookie contract. They think he can be a decent backup who plays a similar style to their starter.

 

Two years ago, they wanted Pickett badly enough to to take him in the first round. One year ago, they were fully committed to him as their quarterback and expressed belief that he could be a franchise guy. I question their judgement regarding quarterbacks.

 

I think they are open to him earning more than that. I'm starting to think they moved Pickett because they knew they could get Fields cheap.

 

The weird thing with the league is - there are few QBs (if any) who make between 10 and 20m a year. A huge gap, I imagine more than a few qbs would still be with their original team if they agreed to that price given their performance. But teams figure "he's not worth $20m or more a year - so they cut bait and go back into the draft. And if they don't think a qb is worth $20m or more, they are unsure if he's worth the risk to the cap.