McShay: 'I'd be shocked' if Justin Fields isn't traded to Falcons, Steelers or Vikings
In six days the NFL's legal tampering period opens and on March 13 there will undoubtedly be a wave of free-agent signings announced as the new league year begins.
Where will Kirk Cousins wind up? The consensus right now appears to be one of two places: Minnesota or Atlanta, with the latter now the betting favorite to sign him. And if Cousins doesn't put pen to paper with the Vikings, the Vikings will be hunting for a new QB via trade, free agency and/or the draft.
One name that continues to surface is Justin Fields, who turned 25 years old on Tuesday and is believed to be on his way out of Chicago as the Bears look to start fresh at quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
ESPN's Todd McShay believes the Falcons, Steelers and Vikings are the three "most likely" teams that could trade for Fields.
"Justin will get moved. Kirk Cousins is probably going to have to get moved first. We'll have to see where he lands. But I think the three most likely – and I'd be shocked if it's not one of these teams – to land Justin Fields are Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Minnesota – and maybe in that order," McShay said Tuesday on The Ryen Russillo Podcast.
McShay thinks a third-round pick this year and maybe a conditional third- or fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft will be enough to acquire Fields from the Bears.
If McShay is right and Fields winds up with the Falcons, Steelers or Vikings, then we're really talking about a two-team race since Cousins likely ends up with the Falcons or Vikings.
However, Twin Cities sports insider Darren Wolfson said Tuesday on SKOR North's Minnesota Sports with Mackey & Judd that he's not hearing anything connecting the Vikings to Fields.
"From a very reliable source – I am reporting this – there has not been any dialogue to this point, as of Monday night, between the Vikings and Bears," Wolfson said. "I cannot connect any dots to them have any interest, legit interest, in Justin Fields."
Wolfson went on to say that recent reports linking the Vikings to Trey Lance, Jacoby Brissett and Sam Darnold is legitimate.
The Vikings in the past have had trade interest in Trey Lance. So this regime has had interest in Trey Lance so we can connect those dots," Wolfson said. "The Sam Darnold steam from a few weeks ago, that is legit. Especially now with Josh McCown on staff, a former teammate of Sam's with the Jets. Sam Darnold absolutely is a name that makes sense."
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.