A Continuous Journey: 2024 NFL Offseason Thread

BTW, part of the narrative surrounding Fields was that he didn't have a good supporting cast. The Steelers were 25th in total offense last year* and just traded their top receiver. It's a good deal for the Steelers because they have nothing to lose, but it's not necessarily a good spot for Fields to land.

*Also in the bottom 25 percent of offensive line rankings.

 

Sorry, but this is a giant fuck up of (and I hate to use these clinical smarty-pants terms but it applies here) asset management by the Bears. Everyone knew they were gonna draft a QB at no. 1 this spring. Fields is not perfect, and the looming fifth-year option is problematic, but he's a third-year dual-threat QB who still has some perceived upside once he can get out of Chicago, which truly has not developed a franchise QB since Sid Luckman. I wouldn't wager the rent he'll figure it out anywhere else but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if someone else can fix his late-game flaws.

If they'd been aggressive in trying to deal him earlier in the off-season, they would have absolutely gotten more than a sixth or a conditional fourth. The Steelers got two extra draft picks for Pickett. The fucking Patriots got a sixth for Mac Jones, who is terrible on the field and damn near sparked a locker room revolt off it! How do you get the same return for Justin Fields as the Patriots got for Mac Jones?

 

The Pickett deal makes a lot more sense now. I don’t think much of Fields, but the price is right.

 

The answer is: the other teams have seen Justin Fields and don't want him.

Look, I thought they'd get more, too. But if the last week has shown us anything, it's that the other teams in the league had no interest in the guy. It's not a matter of "aggressively" trying to deal him -- EVERYONE knew he was available. They didn't want him. This was the market.

"Fleeced" is trending on Twitter. People are weird. If they made this deal on day one, maybe it's a bad deal. But now? They know what he's worth on the market... and it's a conditional 6th rounder.

 

At the end of the year, the Pittsburgh run game was great. Their offensive line is fine. it was incompetent playcalling that was their problem, and the absolute terribleness of Mitch Trubisky.

The Steelers will be a run-first and deep to Pickens offense.

They will be pretty darn good next year.

 

Devoloping a quarterback is overrated. DRAFTING a quarterback is the tricky part and has been the Bears' issue. But they're not unique.

Before Mahomes, the Chiefs never developed a quarterback.*

Before Brady, the Patriots never developed a quarterback.

If the Bears get the player right, development will take care of itself.

*Until 2018, Kansas City had never won a single playoff game with a quarterback it drafted.

 

I heard Mel Kiper say this morning that he didn't understand why no one wanted Fields. So you're in good company.

 

Point of order: Steve Grogan for the Pats, although I will admit they didn't develop him, he developed himself. Everyone was on their own back in those Pats' days.

 

The Chiefs also never had Andy Reid.

 

Who was a fraud who never won anything before Mahomes!

 

Also re: development, Luke Getsy was hired right away after the Bears dumped him, so that speaks to what the league overall thought of Fields vs. the coaching he got. Granted, it's the Raiders, but still.

By all accounts, Fields is a nice kid who works really hard. People want to see him succeed. So I get why people think he is worth more. But if no one in the NFL thinks he is, to me, that speaks louder than all the pundits and fanbois.

 

I'd argue (no! not me!) drafting/developing it's six of one, half a dozen of another. We're talking two sides of the same coin. The good news is the Bears get to try again in a few weeks!

Fuck off!