Trade talks have surrounded Justin Fields for much of the past two years. The Bears haven’t publicly made their decision, but NFL insiders believe a trade is imminent.
The Atlanta Falcons dominate the trade discourse of the former Buckeye quarterback, as Justin Fields is a Georgia native and still has strong family ties in the South.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team frequently mentioned with Fields. However, to this point, the front office seems content with its quarterback room.
That leaves the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and Denver Broncos as the next batch of teams that could kick the tires on a trade. But now a new team has entered the chat.
Browns become latest rumored destination for Fields
According to Benjamin Solak of The Ringer, a shocking team may come out of nowhere to complete a Fields trade. Solak mentioned the Cleveland Browns, fresh off an NFL postseason berth, as a team to watch while this Fields situation unfolds.
His reason? Solak says Deshaun Watson isn’t worth the massive, fully guaranteed contract the Browns gave him.
WILD… #Browns QB Deshaun Watson's $63.9M cap hit is 25 PERCENT of the league’s new salary cap.🤯(Via Spotrac)
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 23, 2024
“I don’t think the Browns have a good quarterback on the roster (see all of Deshaun Watson’s film since he returned from suspension).
“They would benefit from a low-risk, high-reward swing on the upside of Fields. If they can find a starter in Fields, they can escape out of the back door of what is proving to be a catastrophically bad Watson contract.
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“We know that Cleveland is interested in mobile quarterbacks. And we know that new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has worked with a big-bodied, physical quarterback in Buffalo with Josh Allen.
Justin Fields to the Cleveland Browns would be very interesting… Hell, interesting that it was even floated out there today.
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) March 4, 2024
“If there isn’t a clear starting job available for Fields on the open market, I think the Browns are a good option for his career and their future.”
As Solak touched on, Watson’s contract is currently an anchor around the feet of the Browns franchise.
What’s worse is Cleveland still owes its 2024 first-round pick to the Houston Texans as part of the prior Watson trade.
That cuts into the draft capital that the front office can use in a potential Fields trade.
However, if a market doesn’t materialize for Fields, the Browns might be able to get him for pennies on the dollar, as Solak proposed.