The Chicago Bears are likely to trade Justin Fields this offseason. The question now is more about what the return will be and what team will be making the trade when all is said and done. There are the usual suspects as teams expected to trade for Fields, but one underrated team would be the New York Giants.
Are the New York Giants sleepers to trade the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields?
On the surface, the Giants would not want to trade for a quarterback when their current quarterback just signed a big extension and will be on the books for $47M in 2024. However, the Giants are in a particular situation. Jones showed nothing last year to think he deserves that sort of salary, and the injury derailed things anyway. So, not only can they not trust his play, they also have to be worried about his health.
The Giants needed a backup quarterback in the worst way last season. They ended up paying Tyrod Taylor $6.9M last year, and he is a free agent. This year, if they traded for Justin Fields, his cap hit would be $6M. So, the Giants would actually be making the backup cheaper than the year prior, while also making it a complete competition.
Fields and Jones could push each other, and while the money would be different, the competition would be fair. The Giants could either place the fifth-year option on Fields, tag him, or work out a deal next year if he does win the job. Meanwhile, they could save $19.4M in cap space if they move on from Jones after this season. That could go straight to Fields, and the money allocated to the quarterback room would remain the same. For a coaching staff that already turned things around with Jones, they have to think Fields can do more in their hands.
In a perfect world, the Giants do not need a backup that bad after paying Jones all that money. Last year was not perfect, and now a perfect scenario is having Fields and Jones battle it out for that $19M in 2025.