The Pittsburgh Steelers made out like bandits in the Justin Fields trade, as the Chicago Bears former first-round pick led the team to a 3-0 record while filling in for an injured Russell Wilson. While he’s far from the MVP discussion, Fields has performed well in Arthur Smith’s offense, completing 73.3% of his passes for 518 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while adding another 90 yards and a score on the ground. This efficient play combined with Pittsburgh’s elite defense has the team comfortably atop the AFC North, but Fields recently revealed he almost landed with a different organization.
During an appearance on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Justin Fields revealed that the Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders tried to trade for him during the offseason. We already knew about the Raiders, as Aidan O’Connell was the only notable quarterback on the roster before free agency, but the inclusion of the Ravens and Chargers is a little more surprising.
“I’m not sure of all the teams, but there were a lot of teams that already had solidifed quarterbacks and I didn’t want to do that. Chargers were one, Ravens were another. Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don’t know to much. Who else was in there I don’t know, but a lot of teams had solidified quarterbacks who just got new contracts so I didn’t want to go there.”
Ravens, Chargers Almost Pulled Off A Justin Fields Trade
The Ravens and Chargers only wanted to trade for Justin Fields as a backup. Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert are two of the best quarterbacks in the game, and Fields would have never usurped them on the depth chart. However, when looking at the current state of their respective rosters, it’s easy to see why both teams were interested in the Ohio State product.
The Baltimore Ravens likely knew they wouldn’t keep Tyler Huntley as a free agent. The quarterback signed with the Cleveland Browns and, while he made the initial roster, didn’t last long with the team. He re-signed to the Ravens practice squad but quickly landed with the Miami Dolphins following the Tua Tagovailoa injury. With the veteran out of the picture, Josh Johnson is now the top backup on the Ravens depth chart. This is bad news, as Johnson is nothing more than a career journeyman who shouldn’t sniff regular season action. Given Jackson’s injury history, you can’t blame Baltimore for wanting a better Plan B.
Herbert Insurance
The Chargers are seeing the impacts of not executing a Justin Fields trade in real-time. Justin Herbert spent the offseason battling injuries, and now he enters Week 4 trying to play through a high-ankle sprain. Herbert has looked like a shell of his former self through the first three weeks of the season, but Herbert at 50% capacity is still better than Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke trying their best.
Stick didn’t win a single game in relief of Herbert last year, forcing the Chargers to trade for Taylor Heinicke late in the offseason. While the veteran backup has starting experience, Justin Fields is the better option and a trade could’ve allowed the team to rest Herbert for the long, grueling 17-game season.
Main Photo: Barry Reeger – USA Today Sports
