Why hasn’t ex-Ohio State football player Justin Fields been moved yet?

Heading into this offseason, it was widely thought that former Ohio State football player Justin Fields was going to be traded from the Chicago Bears. The Bears have the number one pick in the NFL Draft and they are assumed to take a quarterback. It could be Caleb Williams or it could be another QB. The bottom line is that Fields’ time in Chicago was supposed to be done.

Yet, the first day of free agency has come and gone. Plenty of quarterbacks have already signed with other teams. Fields is still in Chicago. Bears GM Ryan Poles said at the Combine that they were going to trade Fields, if they decided to trade him, before free agency. They wanted to do that to be fair to him. So why hasn’t he been moved yet?

Assessing why ex-Ohio State football player Justin Fields hasn’t been traded

There could be a few reasons why Fields hasn’t been moved yet. Chicago could be asking for too much compensation in return for Fields. Prior to the end of the season, the Bears were looking for a first-rounder for Fields. Then it was a second. Now, it might have to be lower than that if no one wants to offer two picks or even a second for him.

Fields also might not have as robust of a market as we initially thought. Maybe there aren’t enough teams who think he can still be a franchise quarterback. I think he can, but I’m not an NFL GM. Maybe teams see him more as a backup than a starter and don’t want to give up high draft picks for that level of player.

There could also be the unlikely scenario that the Bears decide to keep Fields and trade the number one pick instead. Would that be stupid? I think so, yes. But that doesn’t mean the Bears wouldn’t do it. They haven’t exactly been the best organization in football over the last 20 years or so.

We’ll just have to wait and see whether or not Fields gets moved. If he does, it has to be in the next couple of days.