Bears GM Ryan Poles Makes A Derogatory Statement Over Justin Fields Choice Of Steelers.
In moving on from Justin Fields earlier this month, Bears general manager Ryan Poles accomplished his stated goal of doing right by the former first-round quarterback.
The latter recently spoke about the tepid trade market which was in place and the efforts made by the team to send Fields to a situation with a potential path to a starter’s role.
The Steelers moved quickly in acquiring Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick not long after adding Russell Wilson.
The decision to trade away Kenny Pickett after Wilson’s arrival set the stage for the Fields swap and with it the complete overhaul of Pittsburgh’s QB room.
A recent report indicated the Steelers’ offer was not the best one made to Chicago, something Poles confirmed when speaking at the league meetings.
“There were other teams,” Poles said, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago. “The Steelers were just an opportunity where it was almost like more of a… they have a starter with Russ, but there was more of an open competition it felt like from my perspective where there were other opportunities where there were some quarterbacks that were either veteran guys or young guys that had already been paid, so it would have been a tougher situation for him to get on the field.
Fields is already known to have preferred going to Pittsburgh, but further clarity on his other potential landing spots has emerged.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reports the 25-year-old was also considering the Vikings, Raiders and Falcons prior to the start of free agency. Kirk Cousins‘ decision to depart Minnesota and join Atlanta left the Falcons as a backup-only destination; the same could have held true in the case of the Vikings given their addition of Sam Darnold as a short-term Cousins replacement.