Patriots (Longshot) Plan: Trade For Bears' QB Justin Fields?!

The New England Patriots could offer Justin Fields a unique chance to reclaim the narrative of his NFL career.

What if the first-round pick that saves the New England Patriots is already in the NFL?

The search for the next heir to the Tom Brady throne is officially underway with the most brutal Patriots season in recent memory mercifully over. Most early prognostications see a quarterback written on the draft card that reveals the third name among this spring's selections. But a year where every dire prophecy came to fruition proved that a discussion about the choice's destiny is at the very least warranted. 

Intriguing, if not limited, possibilities linger on the veteran front: most center upon the idea of veterans whose ultimate destiny would probably be the "Wait, He Played for the Patriots?!?!" team, stopgaps that would provide temporary, if not effective, relief (i.e. Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson). Beyond the tenured, an intriguing long-term option could linger in not-so-Sweet Home Chicago.

One of the more intriguing subplots of this offseason will be the fate of current Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Chicago is, for better and worse, engaged in one of the most explosive situations in recent offseason memory, one that has granted them both the first and ninth picks in this spring's draft, the former arriving a prior draft-centered deal with the Carolina Panthers. 

The potential of the incoming quarterback class (headlined by Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels) may prove too tantalizing to ignore, especially with two trips to the podium awaiting. Fields, the 11th pick in 2021's draft, has shown undeniable flashes of potential, but such glimpses have hardly proven sustainable, leading some to believe he could seek greener ... well, fields. 

Oddsmakers are prepared to capitalize on the potential bidding: fresh probabilities from IllinoisBet.com foresee Fields leaving the Windy City, giving him just a 40 percent chance (albeit at +150 odds) of staying with the Bears, and that possibility is paired with "Other." The Patriots finally see themselves among the leaders in a numerical category this season: the Atlanta Falcons hold the best likelihood of landing Fields if he indeed moves on (+475, 17.4 percent), beating out both the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders (each at +900, 10 percent).

Of the early contenders, New England perhaps offers the best chance for Fields to realistically reclaim the narrative on his NFL career, albeit through macabre means.

New England's companions on the early list are teams that sniff blood in the divisional waters: Atlanta's NFC South bid was burdened by aerial ineptitude, Las Vegas and the Denver Broncos are licking their lips after the Kansas City Chiefs looked surprisingly human this year. Even if all goes perfectly according to plan this offseason, the Patriots will have to deal with an AFC East headlined by the antics of Josh Allen and Tua Tagovailoa ... and that doesn't even take into account the return of a vengeance-seeking Aaron Rodgers.

The Patriots thus provide Fields a relatively consequence-free opportunity to get back on track in peace, without the immediate pressure of headlining a playoff push. With the quarterback position temporarily filled in this case, Fields arrival would also give New England a little more freedom to toy with the third pick, which will be their highest since Drew Bledsoe was the top choice in 1993.

Fields' dual-threat tendencies (averaging over 268 total yards per game before injuries ate away at his third season) would also be an intriguing culture shift in Foxborough, one that could be paired well with the third pick being used on either weaponry (i.e. Marvin Harrison Jr.) or protection (Joe Alt). Set to enter the final year of his original rookie deal (cap hit of just over $6 million in 2024), Fields also serves as a mid-budget project that wouldn't be hard to lose in financial amnesia. 

What It Might Take For Pats To Land Justin Fields

Like any passing solution the Patriots come across in the coming weeks, the idea of providing a stage for Fields' redemption story comes at a bit of a price and cold terms and conditions: the team doesn't exactly carry tradeable assets in the draft and there isn't exactly much to get excited about both financially and athletically on their veteran ledgers. 

But the mutual benefits and relative peace each side can provide each other should, at the very least, keep the possibility open.

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