The Chicago Bears just agreed to a trade that will send Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for essentially nothing. After three up-and-down years with a subpar Bears roster, the best Chicago could get was a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This is a paltry return for a quarterback who, at the very least, has proven he can be a decent bridge quarterback or a high-end backup. If this is what it costs to get Fields, then the New York Jets might not be able to trade Zach Wilson at all.
Originally selected with the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Zach Wilson Era has been an unmitigated disaster in New York. Taking over an admittedly flawed roster as a rookie, the BYU product finished his inaugural season completing 55.6% of his passes for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He followed this up with a disastrous 2022 campaign where the team benched him midway through the season. After acquiring Aaron Rodgers via trade, the team had to turn back to Zach Wilson after the four-time MVP tore his Achilles in Week 1.
Does Anyone Want Zach Wilson After Justin Fields Trade?
Historically speaking, even the worst first-round quarterbacks always get a second chance somewhere else, even if it is as a backup. The last first-round pick to not receive a second contract was Johnny Manziel, and he had a long, long list of reasons why he was completely unemployable. Sure, Paxton Lynch never made another 53-man roster after signing with a new team, but he had an opportunity to fight for a job. However, trying to find a trade partner for Zach Wilson is going to be difficult.
Teams are not as optimistic as they used to be. In the past, organizations would hold on to hope that a flawed player with first-round draft capital could figure it out in a new environment. This is part of the reason the Carolina Panthers gave up a second-round pick for Sam Darnold just three years ago. However, that line of thinking is starting to die out, as evidenced by the meager return for Justin Fields and, to a lesser extent, Mac Jones.
Zach Wilson has been worse than Fields and Jones, so it’s safe to wonder if anyone would trade anything for him. Even a conditional seventh-round pick swap seems like a stretch, considering a team would need to take on a portion of his $11.1 million cap hit. However, if he is released, someone is going to kick the tires on him and see what he can do.
Possible Team Fits
New Orleans Saints
With Jameis Winston in Cleveland, the New Orleans Saints need a new backup quarterback. Derek Carr is nothing special, but he’s considerably better than the underwhelming duo of Nathan Peterman and Taysom Hill. The Saints have seven Day 3 draft picks, so they might be willing to trade a sixth-round pick for Zach Wilson and a seventh-rounder.
San Francisco 49ers
Zach Wilson replaced Sam Darnold in New York, and he might do the same with a trade to the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold recently signed a contract to be Minnesota’s bridge quarterback, leaving a wide-open spot behind Brock Purdy on the 49ers depth chart. Wilson won’t need to be a superhero in this scheme, he’ll just need to hit the open targets that Shanahan’s system naturally produces.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the world. Chris Oladokun and Ian Book are not. Historically speaking, the Chiefs prefer to have a veteran quarterback serving as insurance for Mahomes. However, with Blaine Gabbert still out there as a free agent, there is a chance that Kansas City is considering a new option at QB2. A Zach Wilson trade would give them a player with the physical tools to keep the playbook relatively unchanged in the event Mahomes has to miss a few weeks.
Main Photo: Sam Navarro – USA Today Sports
