With 5 teams in the mix for QB Justin Fields, why did the Bears deal with Steelers?

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a huge trade this past weekend when they got quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears for a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. While this sounds like a huge win for the Steelers, the deal when down in part the way it did because the Bears wanted to be fair to Fields.

According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, four other teams made offers to the Bears and there were better offers than the one the Steelers made. But the Bears went to fields and asked him where he wanted to play and he said he wanted to play for the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin, so Chicago general manager Ryan Poles made the deal.

Important note on the Justin Fields trade: At least four additional teams inquired about trading for Fields, but Fields’ representation asked for him not to be traded there. He wanted the #Steelers, and the #Bears did right by him. https://t.co/jE65yV0jzm

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2024

Fields in Pittsburgh is a perfect fit. He has a year to work with Russell Wilson at quarterback, work with Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and get his career on track whether it is in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.