NFL Offseason: Trade of Justin Fields to Pittsburgh Steelers and Other Key Signings, Trades

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania United States of America
Justin Fields has been traded from the Chicago Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, Lamar Jackson and Keenan Allen have signed with their respective teams
Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett have also joined the Steelers team
The NFL offseason is in full swing
NFL Offseason: Trade of Justin Fields to Pittsburgh Steelers and Other Key Signings, Trades

The NFL offseason is in full swing, and one of the biggest moves so far has been the trade of quarterback Justin Fields from the Chicago Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The move ends Fields' tenure with the Bears after three seasons, all but confirming that Chicago will draft a quarterback -- likely USC's Caleb Williams -- No. 1 overall on April 25.

Fields joins a Steelers team that has made numerous QB-related headlines in recent weeks, most notably its acquisition of nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson and the trade of former first-rounder Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. The move is expected to give Fields more opportunities for success than he had with Chicago.

The NFL free agency period has also been in full swing, with several key signings and trades taking place over the past few days. Some of the biggest moves include a four-year, $180 million deal for quarterback Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, a three-year extension worth $49 million for defensive end Danielle Hunter with Minnesota Vikings and an undisclosed contract extension for wide receiver Keenan Allen with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Steelers also signed former NFL MVP Lamar Jackson to a four-year deal worth $160 million, but he is expected to miss most of the 2024 season due to injury.

The trade market has been active as well, with several notable trades taking place over the past few days. The Bears traded Fields and a sixth-round draft choice in 2025 that becomes a fourth-round pick if he plays at least 51% of Pittsburgh's snaps in 2024 to the Steelers for Kenny Pickett, who was then sent away by the team. The Seahawks also acquired quarterback Sam Howell from Carolina Panthers and wide receiver Diontae Johnson from Cincinnati Bengals through trades.

Overall, it's been a busy week in the NFL offseason as teams continue to make moves to improve their rosters for the upcoming season. With several key signings and trades already taking place, there is still plenty of action left before free agency officially ends on March 21.



Confidence

80%

Doubts
  • It is not clear if Justin Fields was happy about being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sources

54%

  • Unique Points
    • Running backs are back? (Kinda. But not as much as you might think.)
    • <4> Running backs getting paid -- but with a catch
    • <5> A strong start for an undervalued position? Well, maybe not as strong as you might think.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (30%)
    The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that running backs are 'back' when they are not as much as one might think. Secondly, the author manipulates emotions by using phrases such as 'wait and see' and 'not what we were expecting'. Thirdly, the article is selectively reporting on certain aspects of free agency while ignoring others.
    • Running backs are … back? (Kinda. But not as much as you might think.)
    • Wide receivers: wait and see. It's complicated.
  • Fallacies (75%)
    The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the NFL draft is important for team-building without providing any evidence or reasoning behind this claim. Additionally, the author makes a false dichotomy by suggesting that running backs are either back or not as much as you might think, when in fact there is room for nuance and complexity in their performance. The article also contains inflammatory rhetoric by stating that some of the big-picture developments mean wait and see, which could be interpreted as a negative evaluation of the situation.
    • The NFL draft is important for team-building
    • Running backs are either back or not as much as you might think
  • Bias (75%)
    The article contains examples of monetary bias and religious bias. The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable by saying 'wait and see' when referring to wide receivers.
    • Josh Jacobs $12 million average per year stands out, but that deal only places him sixth in that category among running backs, and his guaranteed money ($12.5 million) is lower than a dozen other backs, according to Over The Cap.
      • > Running backs are … back? (Kinda. But not as much as you might think.)
        • The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable by saying 'wait and see' when referring to wide receivers.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          The author Eric Edholm has conflicts of interest on the topics running backs and wide receivers as he is a fantasy football expert. He also has an undisclosed financial tie with Derrick Henry's agent.
          • Eric Edholm is a fantasy football expert, which means that his coverage of running back and wide receiver positions may be influenced by his personal interests rather than objective analysis.

          76%

          • Unique Points
            • The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 sixth-round draft choice that becomes a fourth-round pick if Fields plays 51% of Pittsburgh's snaps in 2024.
            • ESPN reports that the move ends the former first-round pick's tenure with the Bears after three seasons, all but confirming Chicago will draft a quarterback -- likely USC's Caleb Williams -- No. 1 overall on April 25.
            • Fields joins a Steelers team that has made numerous QB-related headlines in recent weeks, most notably its acquisition of nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson and the trade of former first-rounder Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.
          • Accuracy
            No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
          • Deception (50%)
            The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the idea that Fields will have an opportunity to win the starting job in 2024 when there is no evidence of this being true. The article states that Wilson is expected to be the team's starting quarterback and Fields will learn under him, indicating a backup role for Fields. Secondly, it presents the idea that Chicago has moved on from Fields by drafting Caleb Williams as their top pick when there is no evidence of this being true. The article states that Chicago will formulate its contingency plan for potentially trading back a pick or two if its evaluation leads to a prospect other than Williams. Lastly, the article presents the idea that Fields' skills translate well to Arthur Smith's offense in Pittsburgh when there is no evidence of this being true.
            • The article states that Fields will have an opportunity to win the starting job in 2024 but provides no evidence of this.
            • The article states that Fields' skills translate well to Arthur Smith's offense in Pittsburgh when there is no evidence of this being true.
            • The article presents the idea that Chicago has moved on from Fields by drafting Caleb Williams as their top pick when there is no evidence of this being true.
          • Fallacies (85%)
            The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Russell Wilson is a nine-time Pro Bowl player and has won a Super Bowl. This statement does not provide any evidence or reasoning for why Fields should have an opportunity to win the starting job in 2024, but rather relies on the reputation of another player. Additionally, there are several examples of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article, such as
            • The move ends the former first-round pick's tenure with the Bears after three seasons
            • Despite flashing potential, Fields never definitively answered the question as to whether he could become the Bears' franchise quarterback.
            • Fields is entering his fourth season, and Chicago's ability to start the clock over by drafting a quarterback next month is huge.
          • Bias (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication
          • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
            None Found At Time Of Publication

          56%

          • Unique Points
            • Kenny Pickett ran away from a QB competition in Pittsburgh.
            • The NFL free agency is still going strong and teams have been allowed to negotiate with free agents since Monday, and players have been able to be officially signed by new teams as of 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which was the start of the new league year.
          • Accuracy
            No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
          • Deception (30%)
            The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that Kenny Pickett ran away from a QB competition in Pittsburgh without providing any evidence to support this claim. Secondly, the author selectively reports on trades and signings made during free agency while ignoring other significant events happening at the same time such as player cuts or extensions. Lastly, there is no disclosure of sources used in the article.
            • Kenny Pickett ran away from a QB competition in Pittsburgh
            • The author selectively reports on trades and signings made during free agency while ignoring other significant events happening at the same time such as player cuts or extensions.
          • Fallacies (85%)
            The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that ESPN staff has graded the biggest deals and provided a list of best available free agents. Additionally, there are multiple instances where the author presents opinions without providing evidence or logical reasoning to support them.
            • The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that ESPN staff has graded the biggest deals and provided a list of best available free agents. Additionally, there are multiple instances where the author presents opinions without providing evidence or logical reasoning to support them.
            • ESPN staff states that Kenny Pickett ran away from a QB competition in Pittsburgh but does not provide any evidence to support this claim.
          • Bias (85%)
            The article contains multiple examples of bias. The author uses loaded language to describe the QB competition in Pittsburgh as a 'run away' which implies that Kenny Pickett did not want to compete with Russell Wilson for the job. This is an example of ideological bias as it assumes that there are only two sides and one side is better than the other.
            • Did Kenny Pickett run away from a QB competition in Pittsburgh?
              • ESPN staffMar 18, 2024, 10:04 AM ET NFL free agency is still going strong. Teams have been allowed to negotiate with free agents since Monday, and players have been able to be officially signed by new teams as of 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which was the start of the new league year.
              • Site Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication
              • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                None Found At Time Of Publication

              66%

              • Unique Points
                • The Falcons sign QB Kirk Cousins for 4 years, $180 million.
                • The Raiders sign DT Christian Wilkins for 4 years, $110 million.
                • The Texans sign EDGE Danielle Hunter for 2 years, $49 million.
                • Jets sign OT Tyron Smith for 1 year.
              • Accuracy
                No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
              • Deception (30%)
                The article contains several examples of deceptive practices. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by stating that free agency is 'insanity' and creating a sense of urgency for readers to keep track of all the key signings and trades during this period.
                • The NFL free agency insanity is here for 2024 with the open negotiations period starting on Monday, March 11,
              • Fallacies (75%)
                The article contains several examples of logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Falcons are a quarterback away from being a playoff contender without providing any evidence or reasoning for this claim. Additionally, the author makes an informal fallacy by using hyperbole when describing Tom Telesco's spending on defense as
                • The Falcons are truly a quarterback away from being a playoff contender.
                • Tom Telesco splurge for a defensive star.
              • Bias (85%)
                The author has a clear bias towards the NFL and free agency. They use phrases such as 'NFL free-agency insanity' and 'the open negotiations period starting on Monday, March 11'. The author also uses language that dehumanizes players by referring to them as commodities with prices attached to them.
                • Like every year, several potential free agents are staying off the market, either re-signed or franchise-tagged by their teams, but many others are set to change teams by either agreeing to terms with another club or being traded.
                  • The Falcons saw Jonathan Greenard go to the Vikings so they took Hunter away fromm the Vikings for a higher price knowing they'll keep their pass rush very disruptive and Hunter can keep thriving under DeMeco Ryans.
                    • The NFL free-agency and trade insanity is here for 2024
                    • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication
                    • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                      None Found At Time Of Publication