Did Ryan Poles Do Right by Bears with Justin Fields Trade?

Apparently Bears GM Ryan Poles went above and beyond the call of duty to “do right by” Justin Fields. The Bears general manager had said he had to do this and didn’t want his QB living “in the gray.” According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Fields got what he actually wanted when told he was being traded. The report said at least four addition teams to the Steelers inquired about a trade for Fields. However, Fields’ representatives asked he be traded to the Steelers and not the other teams, so Poles made the trade with Pittsburgh.

The report does not say the Bears were offered something better by the other teams, only that they inquired about a trade.

It does sound like Poles went to great lengths to make Fields happy, however. In fact, another report by Courtney Cronin and Brooke Pryor for ESPN said it was five teams besides the Steelers who made offers and that one of the teams was for better draft capital. However, Fields’ and his camp sought the Pittsburgh situation and the Bears decided to go with Fields’ wishes. He’ll be a backup to Russell Wilson. In the past three seasons, Wilson hasn’t been the player he once was in Seattle.

According to a report by Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers aren’t planning on Wilson to be there for one year and they plan to offer him multiple years on a deal. That would leave Fields in a tough situation. If the Bears did right by Fields by sending him where he wanted to go, the question begs, did Poles do right by the organization to send him where they didn’t get as much back in return with the trade? Of course, because the reports don’t list the teams or actual compensation, it’s always possible the team offering more was Minnesota. No one could blame the Bears for not wanting Fields within the division.