The Bears are making early headway in their hope of increased compensation on the Justin Fields trade.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he is planning to start Fields again Sunday at the Broncos as veteran Russell Wilson deals with a calf injury. Fields started for Wilson in the opener against the Falcons, which the Steelers won 18-10 on six field goals as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards for a 91.9 passer rating.
The Bears’ interest in Fields’ situation is rooted in their trade to offload him in March. They received a conditional 2025 sixth-round pick that will convert to a fourth-rounder if Fields plays at least 51% of the Steelers’ snaps this season.
Teams typically run around 1,100 offensive plays in a season, and Fields logged 68 in the victory over the Falcons.
Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace spent two first-round picks to draft Fields in 2021, after trading the team’s 2022 first-rounder (No. 5 overall) to move up from No. 20 to No. 11 to get him. Fields averaged 166.9 yards passing per game and had an 82.3 passer rating in three seasons with the Bears before general manager Ryan Poles dealt him and drafted Caleb Williams first overall this year.
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