Trade Suggestion to Net Justin Fields a Home

A suggestion for trading Justin Fields but more importantly to solve a big Bears hole on their defensive line.

It doesn't add up.

With a few hours before signings in free agency become official and several teams release a flock of new players into free agency for cap reasons, the Bears are sitting at $44.3 million in available salary cap space.

What he has done with Justin Fields aside, Bears GM Ryan Poles is being praised by some for waiting and avoiding the rush to sign free agents. It's better to wait until the market settles and prices come down, the thinking goes.

The problem is, the players at need positions in the marketplace have been taken. There are role players and people who can contribute but not the sure impact player who takes up a lot of cap space.

It's almost as if Poles is waiting for someone he expects to be cut, or possibly even thinks a team will lower their demands on a trade in order to get a return on a player they would need to cut. 

He might have something up his sleeve.

The two Chargers edge rushers are possible places to look, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, but the cash would be big and Mack, a popular player in his time with the Bears, is already 33 years old. The Bears have been staying away from the 30-somethings except for safety Kevin Byard, who is simply replacing another 30-something in Eddie Jackson.

Besides, they have D.J. Wonnum coming in Thursday and could address this need by signing him. This is a signing unlikely to break the bank, with all due respect to Mr. Wonnum.

They still don't have a second wide receiver or even a third, and Tee Higgins has asked for a trade. It would take a big chunk of cash to acquire Higgins, not to mention draft picks. The Bears have an extra first-rounder but they could easily just take one of the draft's top receivers and avoid paying out much of their cap space.

If they want a slot receiver, Curtis Samuel is available and the receiver market is one of the lightly tapped areas in free agency. So it's possible to get a player of his quality still at a decent price.

There is the possibility of a 3-technique. The Bears face a similar roster situation right now at defensive tackle as at wide receiver. 

In fact, it's worse. This is because of the scarcity of talent for this position. They need a specific skill set.

There is a player who becomes a free agent after 2024 and has this skill set.

Because he is entering the last year of his contract, it would behoove his current team to trade him if it's likely they'd lose him anyway after 2024. 

He's 29 years old, still very valuable and, in fact, made more tackles last year than any time in his career. He hasn't has had less than seven sacks since 2017.

The player is a favorite of Matt Eberflus' because the Bears coach had him for two seasons in Indianapolis. The player, of course, is defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl player.

Enticing the Colts with a draft pick would be one thing. The Colts need a backup quarterback to Anthony Richardson or someone to even take the job from him. A deal with Fields thrown in along with draft picks would sure let Poles save face and turn him into a hero, at least in the eyes of Eberflus and many Bears fans. 

After all, he said he wanted to "do right by" Fields. This would help Fields and the Bears.

No doubt, he'd still be in the doghouse with many Bears fans. Those are the ones who think Fields is a Super Bowl MVP in waiting—he just needs a Super Bowl team and coaching staff.

Buckner sure would balance out the Bears defensive line and make D.J. Wonnum as free agent signing seem like a fine auxiliary piece.

This might just be true fantasy football talk, but deals are made out of necessity and desperation. 

With no one panicking about the fact the Bears have lost their 3-technique, Justin Jones, and the two players behind him looked entirely green last year, the need is huge.

Take this is as suggestion more than a proposal. 

Chris Ballard might laugh it off, and the Colts GM does have the salary cap space next year to pay Buckner to stay. Would he want to stay? 

Then again, the Bears have the cap space now and also next year to make this happen because Buckner's contract is virtually all cash in 2024 and easily absorbed.

Then Fields would have a home in the other conference, away from Bears concern, and competing for a starting role with a quarterback who has only four games played in his career.

Figure out the other picks to throw into this yourself. What would it take? The ninth pick in Round 1, swapping first-rounders. A second next year, third or fourth this year. Fields becomes a throw-in of sorts but he'd be gaining by going to a situation where he could still find a way to start.

The PFF draft simulator let me trade the ninth pick, a third-rounder in 2025 and Fields for the Colts' 15th pick overall this year and DeForest Buckner. 

Like steely-eyed missile man Rich Purnell in the movie, "The Martian," I've done the math. It checks out. 

All I know is I like it, so make it happen.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven