Justin Fields landed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the price of just a conditional late-round draft pick this offseason. The former Chicago Bears quarterback revealed this week, however, that Pittsburgh wasn't the only team to enter trade talks, telling teammate Cameron Heyward on the "Not Just Football" podcast that at least three other clubs had interest prior to the 2024 season.
"I'm not sure of all the teams," Fields said, per NBC Sports, "but there were a lot of teams that already had solidified quarterbacks, and I didn't want to do that. Chargers were one, Ravens were another. Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don't know too much. Who else was in there, I don't know, but a lot of teams had solidified quarterbacks who just got new contracts, so I didn't want to [go] there."
In other words, Fields played a part in his move from Chicago to Pittsburgh, as previous reports indicated. The Steelers had signed Russell Wilson by the time they acquired Fields, but the maligned former Denver Broncos starter had only signed a one-year, prove-it contract, and a calf injury has since prevented him from making his regular-season debut in black and yellow.
The Chargers went on to acquire Taylor Heinicke in a late-August trade with the Atlanta Falcons, giving new coach Jim Harbaugh a new backup for Justin Herbert. The Ravens stuck with veteran Josh Johnson behind reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. The Raiders, meanwhile, signed Gardner Minshew to compete with incumbent Aidan O'Connell, though they didn't name an official starter until late in the preseason.
In Pittsburgh, Fields has gone 3-0, completing a career-high 73.3% of his passes, in place of the injured Wilson. Coach Mike Tomlin said this week he'll make a fourth consecutive start against the Indianapolis Colts.