As reality began to creep late last week that the Chicago Bears could quickly run out of obvious trade destinations for quarterback Justin Fields, a prominent NFL agent with experience facilitating trades for his clients offered a bottom line summary of the situation.
“I’d start looking for a [scheme] fit and a backup [quarterback] situation that isn’t pinned down,” the agent said. “Finding a fit is more important than just looking for a player he can beat out because the last thing you want to do is put a player onto a bad team. It can actually make things worse. So sometimes it’s not the obvious teams that make the most sense. … Look at Geno [Smith] and the quarterbacks he played behind all those years. That turned out to be a positive when he got his next chance as a starter.”
In the case of Fields and his next destination, the math is trending in that direction.
Gone are the days of grouping together franchises that have a need at the top of the QB depth chart and no simple resolution. Now the algorithm has moved into far trickier territory: Looking for teams outside of the NFC North that have a significant backup quarterback need, a scheme fit, some draft ammunition and preferably a front office willing to roll the dice on high upside opportunity. In this case, that’s quite a needle thread, particularly with Fields carrying only one year of contract control, due to a fifth-year rookie option that is unlikely to be triggered.
But in this particular scenario, there is a very sensible fit: The Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles’ Jalen Hurts shares a postgame moment with Justin Fields in 2022. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Right now, the Eagles are in the midst of trying to figure out a solution to their backup quarterback void, following the departure of Marcus Mariota to the Washington Commanders. Last year’s sixth-round draft pick Tanner McKee is on the roster, but he has no regular-season snaps. The Eagles have a starter in Jalen Hurts who…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-have-a-backup-quarterback-problem-justin-fields-might-be-the-resolution-023502182.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-03-14 02:35:02
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