is it not possible to pick up Fields fifth year option to keep them around for another year, while you draft the top QB prospect? You could then trade whichever one doesn’t work out. sounds crazy but crazier things have been done. Any thoughts?
Stay off the fentanyl
Opportunity cost. Whether we draft a QB only to stick them on the bench in favor of Fields or whether we pick up Fields's option only to pay him to sit on the bench, we'd be using resources that could have been put toward a player who could provide a much more direct and immediate impact to us. Sure we could trade whoever loses the QB competition, but then every team would know that whoever we're trading lost the QB competition.
You are then locked in with Fields for 2 years and they are expensive years especially the last one. Then you add in a high draft pick QB and that is a lot of money tied up in QB over the next 2 years.
Honestly though, it is probably better to just take multiple swings at it, in baseball they give you three strikes for a reason. Billy Beane says if he needs a starting pitcher in the majors it takes 3 guys in the minors, because 1 flames out and gets hurt, one doesn't develop, and then the third one you get a guy. Take as many stabs at it as you can and see if you find a guy. Just make sure the guys you pass on wouldn't have turned Fields into that guy.
They’ll show you why not after the season when they pick one or the other
Because we can trade the Carolina pick and pick up and extra 1st in 2025 in a similar deal to what we got for the 2023 1st. We’ll still have the draft capital at that point to draft Qb in 2025 if we still need a Qb at that point.
No offence op but this idea is legitimately terrible
If they revamp the organization as they should and rhe head coach wants to keep Fields and let the rookie sit for a year or until Fields gets hurt, I would be fine with it.
What are you hoping for? That Fields becomes your #1 and the guy you drafted becomes your #1 also? You would have to trade Fields in order to recoup your draft capital because the other QB hasn't proved that he can play in the NFL.
you could trade whichever one doesn’t workout. a contingency plan if you will
I agree. There's a vast need for QBs in the league. It's the most valuable asset in all of sports.
- So you spend a 1st on a QB, who sits on your bench for at least a year.
- Then you trade that backup QB for a 1st round pick (because you're not getting multiple picks for a QB that couldn't beat out your present starting QB)
- Whereas, if you keep Fields and trade that 1st round pick you could get a 1st round pick this year, next year and additional picks.
Sorry, but I don't see a scenario where you have the upper hand after you use your 2024 1st round pick on a backup QB.
If Eberflus and Getsy are coaching, neither will work out and we’ll continue to have this conversation every 3-4 years.
If we built a team instead of playing Quarterback Lottery with shitty coaches, we could do something crazy…like win even if we just had a game manager level QB.
Fuck that tho, let’s get a new QB to throw screen passes and run up the gut on 2nd and 3rd down into an 8 man front!
We did win with a game manager level QB though…
Maybe Fields just isn’t the guy?
Because it torches the relationship with Fields while simultaneously hurting the relationship with the new qb because we aren't fully committing to him. Fields would almost certainly ask to get traded and the new qb would be pissed to.
That's more or less what the Packers did with drafting Love, how'd that work for them? Their HOF qb left instead of retiring on their team and they burned up Loves rookie contract so they can't even evaluate how good he is cheaply.
Confidence is the most important key to winning. If you think you're going to win, your play dramatically improves.
Having the locker room split hurts confidence. Knowing if you have a bad game you could be replaced at any time is bad for confidence.
Trade Fields and get draft someone who can contribute now. It's what's best for the team and for him.
Depends on what your definition of top is.
San Fran did this with Lance and Jimmy G. The Steelers did this with Pickett, the Chargers intended to do this with Herbert, the Dolphins did this with Tua.
Not true for a number of the examples you listed, lance true, but Pickett started early into his rookie year, Hebert started game 1 of his rookie year and Tua also started middle of his rookie year. None of those teams also had qbs that were on the final deal of a rookie deal (ie where fields is at currently) having an older bridge qb is quite different than what we have rn
Every single situation you mentioned did not have a player’s 5th year option being picked up and then they drafted a QB.
Why would they need to pick up Fields 5th year option for this? Fields is under contract next year regardless. Hes in his 3rd season.
You have to decide in the off season I believe.
I don’t want my brain to explode
Remember, you're not a football executive for a damn good reason.
Then we get nothing for Fields except 4-5 wins next season.
I don't think Justin would go for that and I don't think the locker room would either . I'm on the side of not trading him for nothing less than a second round pick. He has made progress. I'm just afraid that it's too little too late. If you have the first pic in the draft you have to consider resetting the clock
If Darnold can get a second+ then ima need a late first at the very least.
No win situation, these are human beings who have feelings and egos. If your boss hires your replacement and makes you work next to him for a year I wonder how happy you’d be.
Outside of it being dumb financially another other reason it doesn’t make sense is letting it play out makes it so other teams know that we gave both Fields and a rookie a chance to win the starting job and the person we’re trying to trade lost. So they would have much less value in a trade.
I actually don’t hate this but you would probably need a strong front office and reputable head coach to pull off a move like this. There was no noise in KC when they essentially did this. Alex Smith was a pro and they had him play one more year and then moved on.
I would do this but not draft a qb in the first. Draft one in rounds 3-5
I stumbled across a Tyler Bagent fan page on Facebook which was just as racist as you would think. The absolute melt down that page would have if we did this…
Why would you think fans of Bagent would be racist?
It was more of an anti-fields page than anything. Lots of posts that screamed “our white QB can read a defense and our black QB is just a running back”
I think Bagent is better at reading defenses. He's not as athletic or good at thinking fast when the play is happening.
Bro, I'm black and even I think Bagent is a better QB than Fields is. Does that still make me a racist or that I hate my skin color?
Either way, stop with the racism. It's getting old and you're just trying to stoke some embers, hoping to turn up the filame. In other words, you're the racist here.
I’m not trying to stoke any embers, there were legitimate racists on this particular fan page. One comment I just saw was talking about how their posts were “riling up the Justin fields black panther fan club” and laughing about it.
Because that would mean 2 more years with Fields.
could have a worse backup or situational qb….
I really think this would be a disaster for the locker room and for both qb’s psyches. Fields would get absolutely destroyed in the media and by fans the second he shows any struggles. And the new qb would hate being drafted so highly while the team also openly admits they don’t know if they want him to be the future.
I don't see this happening. You ruin the relationship with Fields and whoever you draft because they're such a high prospect. You won't get a chance to develop Fields further because any time he screws up everyone will be clamoring for the new kid.
The only way I see us drafting a QB while keeping Fields is if it's late in the 2nd or 3rd or 4th rounds. Something like where Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins got drafted. They weren't drafted to start on their teams. Matt Flynn just signed a big contract with Seattle. Rg3 was the unquestioned starter being the 2nd or 3rd overall pick in Washington. However Russ and Kirk did end up starting after a while, but there were no expectations when they first got drafted.
Dionne Miller addressed this yesterday and she felt as if JF was aware of this pre-draft his agent would ask for a trade
Wouldn’t you want to get a draft pick for fields?
“ Hey everyone i’m the Bears new HC after eberfluss, when they told me I was stuck with a QB who in three years has a 60% completion rating, a 6-26 record, thrown for under 6,000 yards total and has a 36/27 INT ratio! I was thrilled, how could I turn down that job?”
I think some people don't understand that the option is for 2025, not next year. It just has to be picked up after this season
Because MHJ will have a better career with Fields than Caleb or Maye