But that doesn’t mean the aforementioned former Chicago Bear (now Pittsburgh Steeler) wasn’t interested in playing for the Vikings. Inner-division trades are rare, but Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has executed them in the past. He’s pulled off two pretty big trades with the Detroit Lions, the first landed TJ Hockenson. The second allowed those same kitties to jump up and draft WR Jameson Williams a couple years ago.

Justin Fields had interest in playing for Minnesota Vikings

In the end, the Vikings had their mind set on going another direction. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old quarterback (according to ESPN) had Minnesota on his short list of four preferred trade destinations, which also included Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Atlanta.

“Chicago, intending to move the three-year starter as it prepared to select a quarterback with the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, was willing to give Fields some say in his next destination. The Steelers were one of four teams on Fields’ radar prior to the start of free agency, along with the Vikings, Raiders and Falcons, a source familiar with Fields’ thinking said.”

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on Justin Fields’ interest in joining Minnesota Vikings

Of course. It all makes sense now. Who wouldn’t want to team up with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson? It sounds like a dream landing spot for any quarterback.

Yet, the Bears may have been hesitant to send their starting quarterback of the past two seasons to their NFC North division rivals. Not to mention, Fields also had an interest in joining the Steelers from the very start, thanks to “thinking highly” of former Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, his new coach in Pittsburgh.

Fields lands in Pittsburgh

Ultimately Fields was sent to Pittsburgh for a conditional sixth-round pick that can become a fourth-round pick if he plays in 51% or more snaps in 2024. That’s a price the Vikings likely would have been willing to pay, but it may have changed their upcoming NFL Draft plans, and there’s likely a prospect the front office likes far more than Fields anyway.

Passing on Fields gives the Vikings a chance to mold an even younger starter, one that fits their salary cap timeline a bit better. Fields may be under contract for a reasonable cap hit of $3.2 million in 2024, but the Vikings would have had to decide whether they want to pick up his fifth-year contract option for 2025, where Fields would earn $25.6 million.

Related: Insider Believes Vikings Used NFL League Meetings to Send Message to Patriots at No. 3

Meanwhile, drafting a quarterback in the first round will cost the Vikings much less from a salary cap perspective. Since all rookie contracts are based on draft slot value, the Vikings will be able to save a lot more money by having a QB on a rookie deal for the next four years. This will help immensely when signing Justin Jefferson to a record-breaking contract.

Even Bryce Young, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, had a low cap hit of $6.9 million last season. It only jumps to $8.2 million in 2024. But that’s for a No. 1 pick; the cost gradually decreases as each pick advances, meaning the 11th pick, or even the third, will cost even less. That’s a much easier pill to swallow than potentially paying $25 million to an unproven arm like Fields.

As for Fields, he’s just three years removed from being the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Yet, now the Bears are ready to move on from the 24-year-old after being displeased with his development as a passer. However, this decision has just as much to do with his inability to be a consistent passer as it does with the Bears being in position to draft a potential franchise savior.

Justin Fields on Minnesota Vikings radar?

Though he’s struggled as a passer, Fields does still have value. He’s already proven to be a playmaker with his legs, and teams will be more than willing to see if they can develop the former five-star recruit better than the Bears have. In fact, your own Minnesota Vikings might even have interest, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

“The major quarterback domino that many are waiting to fall is Chicago’s Justin Fields decision. Chicago has not played its hand, and several league sources believe Fields — who has not requested a trade — could probably garner a Day 2 pick in a potential deal. There’s no firm deadline on a trade, though the start of free agency is sort of a soft one. Chicago will need multiple teams in the fray to drive a market, and after asking around, I expect Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Minnesota to be on Fields’ radar.

There’s plenty of smoke around Atlanta and Fields. Some around the league are wondering about the fit, thinking a Rams-influence offense under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson could target a Cousins-style quarterback, while others say Fields’ immense talent will be maximized in that scheme. As one league source put it, Atlanta has done enough work on Fields, Cousins and Baker Mayfield that the chances of coming away with one of them are fairly good.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler linking Minnesota Vikings to Justin Fields

Related: ESPN Insiders: Vikings Want a Hometown Discount and Kirk Cousins Doesn’t Seem Interested

Justin Fields Would Be An Upgrade Over Josh Dobbs

While an inner-division trade would be odd, it’s not unprecedented. Those who follow the NFL Draft closely can remind you of when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked out a draft-day trade with the Detroit Lions in one of his first moves on the job in 2022.

Yet, adding the Bears’ former quarterback might be a bit more unlikely, unless, Chicago truly feels like there’s no chance Fields turns into a star, then negotiations could be fair game.

Last year we saw that the Vikings, namely Kevin O’Connell, is open to the idea of having a dual-threat QB with the addition of Josh Dobbs. The ‘Passtronaut’ had a long leash, starting four games before relinquishing duties to Nick Mullens later on.

If the Vikings feel Fields has a higher ceiling than Dobbs, and he definitely does, then a trade may not be out of the question if Chicago is open to dealing with a division rival. Otherwise, they should have plenty of other options.

Related: 3 Running Backs the Vikings Should Target After Releasing Alexander Mattison

Fans or not though, the Bears’ defensive line has absolutely dominated Minnesota’s front-five during those six meetings. That’s mostly due to how terribly the Purple’s interior OL has been in those matchups. But with the expected return of Christian Darrisaw this week, we should get our first look at what might be the best combination we’ve seen up front in years. (Darrisaw, Cleveland, Bradbury, Cole, O’Neill).

My guess for #Vikings starting offensive line vs. Bears:

LT – Darrisaw
LG – Cleveland
C – Bradbury
RG – Cole
RT – O’Neill https://t.co/jM5aMYsXOR

— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) December 18, 2021

Stop Akiem Hicks

That leads us to Akiem Hicks, who seems to single-handedly blow up the Vikings offensive line every time these two teams meet. And this week, as it always does vs the Bears, winning will happen in the trenches. Can the o-line open holes for Dalvin Cook and keep Kirk Cousins clean ENOUGH. The pressure will be there, like it has been all year, but there are different types of QB pressure.

Against the Browns earlier this season, Cousins saw overwhelming pressure. The kind that any QB would have struggled against. Thus, Kirk finished with just 206 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT on 20/38 passing. When the pocket is constantly collapsing like it was that day, life is difficult as a quarterback.

But not all pressure is treated equal, which we saw vs the Packers in November. Kenny Clark manhandled Mason Cole for a majority of that day but the o-line did just enough to keep Cousins semi-comfortable and, in return, he was able to pick the Green Bay secondary apart all game long, passing for 345 yards, 3 TD’s and 0 INT’s.

We know Hicks and the Bears’ defensive line will win their fair share of snaps on Monday night. But Cole, Bradbury and Cleveland cannot let him wreck the game plan.

Lean On The Offense

Given what we’ve learned through 13 games this season, the Minnesota Vikings offense will have to carry the defense down the stretch, if they want to make the playoffs. With Adam Thielen questionable to play with an ankle sprain, it is likely that Kirk Cousins will have to lean on KJ Osborn again. But as long as Kirk shows up and he has a semi-clean pocket, it shouldn’t matter. KJ’s been great all season and deserves the team’s “most improved player” award when it’s all over.

On the ground Minnesota has ‘Harness Dalvin Cook’, who might be scarier than ‘Masked Rip Hamilton‘ was for the Pistons back in the mid-2000’s. Between Cook’s 2019-20 playoff game vs the Saints and the Steelers win last Thursday, he has racked up 352 total yards and 4 TDs with that shoulder harness.

OTD: Rip Hamilton wore his signature, iconic, one of a kind mask for the first time (2004)
pic.twitter.com/qEJcMLwiRa

— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) March 10, 2021

Pressure Fields All Night

If there were a way to bottle up what we saw from the Minnesota Vikings defense when they shut out Pittsburgh in the first half (nearly two weeks ago), Mike Zimmer would pay a year’s salary for it. But with just four games to go, expectations for Zim’s defense are non-existent in reality.

They rank near the bottom of the league in just about every defensive metric that matters. Here they are, as of Monday morning. Most teams have played one more game than the Vikings so no matter how well they play vs the Bears, they’ll rank worse in most defensive categories come Tuesday morning.

But if there’s one thing Mike Zimmer can take away from that 30 minutes of shutout football last week, it’s that sound aggressiveness can cover for a lot of deficiencies in your defense.

Justin Fields is a rookie quarterback and gap-sound pressure is something he’s struggled with. Sure, you might give up some big plays, but you’d rather force Fields to make quick decisions than leave your CB’s on their own island for 10 seconds while he chooses between his arm and his feet.

With Bashaud Breeland being cut yesterday, Patrick Peterson and Cam Dantzler will be on the outside, which is what many fans have asked for all season. Being short-handed like the Vikings are up front is tough, but this is where coaching needs to show up. With a playoff spot on the line, there’s no wiggle room.

Brian Heintz | Minnesota Sports Fan

Rick Spielman is out on the 2021 pro day circuit again today and, if you’ve been watching any of Ohio State’s activities, then you might have seen him. We know OSU quarterback and possible top-10 pick, Justin Fields, saw the Minnesota Vikings General Manager when he was running his 40-yard dash. It would have been hard to miss him.

Apparently, Spielman wanted to see into Justin Fields’ soul while the massive man was chugging toward him at a speed not possible for the average human being.

That is a 4.44 for Justin Fields ???? pic.twitter.com/dEv6Wnp0QK

— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 30, 2021

Only 1st-Round QB to run a faster 40 time at the Combine since 2006 than Justin Fields’ unofficial 4.44 today was Robert Griffin III, who ran a 4.41 at the 2012 Combine. https://t.co/dDLMkPgtwA

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 30, 2021

Anyone else catch the end of the Justin Fields 4.44 40-yard-dash video? pic.twitter.com/aJaKJam1SI

— Ryan Donaldson (@RADonaldson) March 30, 2021

What does this mean?!?!

Could this mean the Vikings expect/hope Fields drops to them at #14? Might Rick be looking for the next blockbuster pre-NFL draft trade? Neither of those scenarios seem likely but some draft experts will tell you that, should any of the top-5 quarterbacks in this draft start falling down the board, Justin could be that guy.

Whether it’s Fields in the 1st round or someone else he targets later, Rick Spielman needs to shoot his first shot at finding Kirk Cousins’ replacement in this draft. I’d be pretty shocked to see Fields hold up a purple and gold #1 jersey on April 29 but he’d be difficult for Minnesota to pass up if he did fall to them.

Justin Fields ran a 4.51 in high school and chased down his own RB last year. Today was no flukepic.twitter.com/yqPq08GcEw

— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) March 30, 2021

Big day today for Ohio St. QB Justin Fields. I see a very high upside QB that tries to be a little too perfect at times and needs to learn the process of elimination quicker.

The skies the limit with him if he’s able to fix that. pic.twitter.com/NxwOpkpZ1X

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 30, 2021

Justin Fields is dropping dimes at his pro day. This one is gorgeous.pic.twitter.com/z2IfVGwdcx

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) March 30, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The current Minnesota Vikings’ season is a mess. Just when you think the offense is going to go off and put up 30 to 40 points, the young defense falters late. When their young defense shows promise, the offense takes a step back (or Dalvin Cook gets hurt)… etc. This is a team that just can’t seem get all of its wheels turning simultaneously.

Now, the Vikings find themselves at 1-4 with their 2020 season on the verge of collapse. Sure, they might be the best one-win team in football and unlikely to finish 2020 with a record putrid enough to command a top-five pick, but let’s assume a worst-case scenario (why not?) for this exercise.

Like… how about a scenario where Minnesota loses the rest of their games this season and finishes 1-15? In that winter wonderland, the Vikings would likely receive the 2021 #1 overall pick in April’s draft (along with a plethora of negative fallout we won’t talk about in this blog).

Quarterbacks matter more.

Football is a team game and any team bad enough to hold the #1 pick would have a lot of holes to fill. But come draft time, there’s only one position on everyone’s mind.

Where is Trevor Lawrence getting drafted? pic.twitter.com/7ch4OqjVnn

— ???? ?? (@DalvinEra) September 30, 2020

Before the hate mail starts arriving from the Kirk Cousins’ allegiance, let me note that I’m not a Kirk hater. I just enjoy dabbling in “what could be” when the current Vikings season is up in flames. If the Vikings were to fall off a cliff so tall that they finish with the worst record in the NFL, I can promise you they aren’t passing on 2021’s QB talent.

Pick of the Litter

As you may know, there are only two quarterbacks worthy of being selected first overall. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Forget NDSU’s Trey Lance. Nobody in the NFL is drafting a JV QB with the top pick. That mistake has already been made. Forget Kyle Trask from Florida. I like Trask, but he won’t showcase enough in 2020 to make the jump to number one.

So, who should the Vikings select between Lawrence and Fields? The answer: Justin Fields.

Need Richard Sherman out there to shut down one side of the field. Next five game stretch will be telling, if it’s a 1-4 or 0-5, i wouldn’t mind tanking.

Seeing a lot of tank for Trevor Lawrence. I’m a Justin Fields guy. pic.twitter.com/BqMvQJADkB

— Christian (@ChristianR_Vill) October 12, 2020

Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields came out of the same 2018 Georgia recruiting class as the first and second ranked quarterbacks, respectively. Because of that, the two will almost always be intertwined with one another.

Lawrence Got His Shot When Fields Didn’t

Lawrence started sooner than Fields and it wasn’t because he was more ready or more talented. Instead, it highlights how much better of a coach and talent developer Clemson’s Dabo Swinney is than Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Entering the 2018 season, both Clemson and Georgia were faced with a decision at QB. Hand the starting job off to a struggling and often mediocre guy with experience or start fresh with your inexperienced, but extremely talented Georgia freshman. Dabo saw the signs early and moved for Lawrence over Kelly Bryant. They won the National Championship.

Kirby on the other hand, wasn’t as in-tune with his team. He gave the job to Jake Fromm and Fields hopped in the transfer portal. The Bulldogs went a mediocre (by their standards) 11-3 that season and lost in the Sugar Bowl.

Remember this from Georgia fans.

“Justin Fields couldn’t read a defense”

“Jake Fromm hands down is better than Justin Fields”

“Kirby made the right decision picking Fromm over Fields”

— jbook™ (@jbook37) April 25, 2020

Everywhere You Compare, Fields is Better than Lawrence

As an Ohio State fan (long story) I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard “Fields couldn’t even beat out Fromm at Georgia”. That was not the case. Instead, Fields was subjected to a coach who stood too loyally by his veteran quarterback and Kirby Smart was burned for it. He watched the CFP from his couch last year while Lawrence and Fields were battling it out in a 1st round heavyweight brawl.

Let’s look at 2019, for example. Remember, entering this season Lawrence already had a full year of experience and a National Championship under his belt. Fields hadn’t taken a snap on a college football field. Yet, Justin was better in just about every category.

Lawrence also plays in the ACC, which can’t hold a candle to the Big Ten from a competition standpoint (more on that later).

To nobody’s surprise, Lawrence has gotten off to a hot start for 2020, throwing for 1,140 yards and 10 touchdowns on 72.4% passing with a 183.4 rating and some rushing scores. We live in a, “what have you done for me lately” society so Lawrence is the hot commodity since he is actually playing. That will all change in a couple weekends.

Outside of Clemson, the ACC kinda sucks

Clemson doesn’t play the same level of competition week in and week out, that Ohio State does, but that didn’t matter to Justin Fields. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) — plus some other advanced metrics — shows that Fields played better than Lawrence in 2019, even while he facing more stifling competition throughout the season.

If Lawrence is better than Fields, why are his stats not better, especially while playing worse competition? Sure, we’ve seen Lawrence perform in bigger moments, including two national title games and one championship. And yes, he beat Fields in last season’s CFP semi-final too.

But let’s not forget the extra games Lawrence has played. Fields would have more moments and probably more screen time, had Kirby Smart made the right decision in 2018 and Justin had stayed in the SEC, facing off against the Alabama’s and LSU’s of the world. He could have easily won that aforementioned matchup vs Clemson last season too, had Ohio State’s Chris Olave not broken off his route a step too soon.

Justin Fields threw one interception all year. Tonight he threw two. The last one was in the final minute in the end zone to seal Clemson’s victory. Final 29-23, Clemson is going to the College Football Playoff Final for the third straight year, but will meet a new opponent, LSU. pic.twitter.com/dXg5xqbeez

— Michael Grier (@MichaeIGrier) December 29, 2019

Fields Grades Out Better Too

Needless to say, Lawrence has been given the benefit of the doubt and had more ideal opportunities to showcase his abilities than Fields. This is not a knock against Fields though. Because guess what, Fields still grades better as a NFL prospect than Lawrence. The ace in the hole.

Finally, Fields grades out better than Lawrence as a professional prospect, given the way the NFL is shifting. While Lawrence can run, Fields is bigger, faster and stronger; posting a 4.50 40-yd-dash at 6′ 3″ and 228 lbs.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fields outdoes Lawrence in nearly each category.

2021 1st pick: Justin Fields or Trevor Lawrence? pic.twitter.com/9mJPGPMG7f

— PFF (@PFF) March 26, 2020

Some of these disparities may be caused by differing offensive systems, but the Ravens, Chiefs and others have proven the NFL is adapting to college football and not the other way around. Lawrence and Fields both move well and throw the ball accurately. The numbers show that much. Justin just does it a little better and more efficiently.

I am not saying Lawrence isn’t a great quarterback. Far from it, actually. It’s a “pick your poison” situation. What I am saying, is I’d take Justin Fields if I were calling the shots. I’ll be changing my hashtag usage to #FailForFields because #TankForTrevor is the 2nd best answer at this point.

Jack Kewitsch | Minnesota Sports Fan