Challenge to Popular Report About Justin Fields

The idea Justin Fields was traded to Pittsburgh because the Bears wanted to send him where he wanted to go regardless of trade offers is being disputed.

One widely reported aspect of the Justin Fields trade is being disputed.

A report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and one follow-up saying something similar by ESPN, was labeled as "hogwash" by Tribune Bears longtime beat columnist Brad Biggs.

The challenge is coming to the suggestion the Bears sent Justin Fields to Pittsburgh despite getting similar or slightly better offers elsewhere after he requested it.

In his regular appearance on WSCR-AM 670's Mully & Haugh Show, Biggs didn't challenge the reporting as much as he did the information the reporters were fed.

"The idea that Fields and his camp kind of steered the Bears away, just pure malarkey," Biggs said. "I don't buy into that at all for a second."

None of the reports cited teams or said exactly what was being offered beyond what the Bears received. They got a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025 for Fields from Pittsburgh.

Justin Fields best season was 7 wins but Caleb Williams has to win a SB to be a good pick. This is why it’s called a cult https://t.co/TEy6eaREXI

— I🧸 (@ilannfl) March 18, 2024

Considering some of the information put forth during the entire Fields vigil, the skepticism seems entirely valid.

These and other media outlets reported the Bears were waiting until after getting back the medical reports from Caleb Williams' physical at a top-30 visit sometime after this Wednesday's USC pro day. Apparently the physical wasn't too important because Fields is in Pittsburgh.

Also, many of the same outlets reported Fields had not been shopped by the Bears. Apparently he made it to Pittsburgh through his own devices?

The mere fact reports said four or five teams were interested in Fields totally debunks the idea Fields hadn't been shopped by the Bears.

So when Biggs challenges the idea about the Bears sending Fields to Pittsburgh out of the goodness of Ryan Poles' heart or to do "right by" Fields, it's definitely a healthy skepticism.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven