The Philadelphia Eagles could be a perfect place to trade for a quarterback who is good at both throwing and running.
As recommended by ex-NFL general manager Michael Lombardi, the Eagles should think about trading for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Lombardi says on his GM Shuffle podcast that no team at the NFL Combine seemed interested in the 25-year-old. Two weeks later, it’s clear that Fields’ trade market is not hot.
“If I were Philly, I would trade for him,” Lombardi said.
Eagles Might Get Justin Fields for Fourth-Round Pick
Lombardi isn’t the only one suggesting Philadelphia as a good place for Fields. Chicago Sun-Times Bears reporter Patrick Finley also mentions the Eagles as a potential destination for Fields as a backup to current starter Jalen Hurts.
“Maybe Fields could compete with the starters on the Titans or Seahawks. Perhaps the Broncos think that Fields’ $3.2 million salary in 2024 reduces the risk, or the Eagles see a similarly skilled second-stringer behind Jalen Hurts,” Finley writes.
Finley also mentions that it’s unlikely a team will give up more than a fourth-round pick for Fields. If that's true, Philadelphia, who just lost their backup from last season, Marcus Mariota, in free agency, could find it helpful to get Fields, who has a $1.6 million base salary in 2024 as part of the final year of his rookie deal.
With the Bears likely to pick Caleb Williams with the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, it has hurt Fields’ trade value.
Why Justin Fields is Valuable for Eagles
We all know about Fields — he’s a great quarterback who is good at running but has not consistently shown that he can throw well. The former first-round draft pick holds the NFL record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game (178) and is one of only three quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. However, Fields ranked 29th in completion rate and 22nd in passer rating last season.
While Fields obviously won’t win the starting job from Hurts, he could be used as a valuable trade asset to get a good return at the trade deadline next season. His value increases especially if he gets to play at all — Hurts missed two starts due to injury during the 2022 season — because he’s on a cheap contract and teams that need a quarterback who is good at running could benefit from the athletic young playmaker.
However, as Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated also mentions that getting a potential franchise quarterback in Fields could do more harm than good. That’s because if Hurts has a rough start to the season — especially after the Eagles’ collapse last season following a 10-1 start — fans and the media might start calling for Fields to start. That could create a difficult situation in the locker room for a team that struggled with challenges at the end of last season. “….the Eagles locker room chemistry is – as Philly fans have come to learn – a delicate thing,” writes Fisher. “Hurts’ leadership has been questioned by some. … and in many situations like this, teams prefer to have a clear No. 2 guy as the backup … “clear” meaning he’s here to support the starter, not to compete with him.”
While that’s definitely a possibility, the concept of getting Fields — a first-round talent with a lot of potential — for just a fourth-round pick is too good to ignore. If the Eagles have the chance to get the Ohio State graduate for a Day 3 pick, they pretty much have to make that trade happen.
A trade situation involves the Philadelphia Eagles getting a quarterback with record-setting performance, Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears.
