The Justin Fields era has ended after the Chicago Bears traded their three-year starter to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The QB left the Windy City with kind words on his way to the AFC.

Fields navigated a drawn out process that spanned months leading up to his departure from Chicago on Saturday, March 16. Keeping consistent with the composure and maturity he showed throughout that time, the 24-year-old quarterback issued a heartfelt goodbye and thank you to the city of Chicago, the Bears organization, its fan base and all of his former teammates via social media.

Can’t say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me. Thank you to the entire Bears organization and ownership for allowing me the opportunity to be part of such a historic franchise. But most of all thank you to my all my brothers that I played…

Can’t say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me. Thank you to the entire Bears organization and ownership for allowing me the opportunity to be part of such a historic franchise. But most of all thank you to my all my brothers that I played… pic.twitter.com/fT1dORwFU5

— Justin Fields (@justnfields) March 16, 2024

“Can’t say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me,” Fields posted to X. “Thank you to the entire Bears organization and ownership for allowing me the opportunity to be part of such a historic franchise. But most of all thank you to all my brothers that I played with. You all were the reason I attacked each day the way I did. I can’t thank you all enough for what y’all have meant to me over the last three years through the ups and downs. I wish each one of you nothing but success. Ready for this next chapter!”

Bears Take Far Less for Justin Fields in Trade Than Initially Projected

Justin Fields
GettyThe Chicago Bears have traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bears did right by Fields, which general manager Ryan Poles pledged to do ahead of free agency, by sending him to a quality organization with a strong history of success where he will have a chance to compete for the starting job.

That said, there is no way to spin the ultimate result. Chicago unequivocally lost its trade with the Steelers on Saturday.

#Bears get a 6th round pick in 2025 from the #Steelers for Justin Fields.

If he takes 51% of the offensive snaps this season, that pick moves to a 4th rounder in 2025.

So, Halas Hall will be rooting for Fields to outplay Russell Wilson.

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 16, 2024

“#Bears get a 6th round pick in 2025 from the #Steelers for Justin Fields,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported. “If he takes 51% of the offensive snaps this season, that pick moves to a 4th rounder in 2025. So, Halas Hall will be rooting for Fields to outplay Russell Wilson.”

In the estimation of most NFL analysts, Pittsburgh was among the top three or four destinations for Fields when the offseason began. That changed when the team signed Wilson in free agency, paying him the league minimum of $1.21 million after the Denver Broncos released the QB, knowing they would be on the hook for $39 million in dead money owed to Wilson in 2024.

However, the door to Pittsburgh re-opened to Fields after the Steelers traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday.

The Steelers now add Fields in the final year of his $18.9 million rookie deal, during which he is owed just $3.2 million in salary. Meanwhile, the Bears avoid a decision on Fields’ $25.7 million fifth-year team option for the 2025 campaign, which Pittsburgh must now make by early May.

Bears Poised to Draft Generational QB Prospect Caleb Williams

Giants trade package with Bears for No. 1 pick and Caleb Williams.
GettyFormer USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

Chicago entered the NFL Combine in late February with the majority of talk around the league projecting second-round value in a trade return for Fields. The team fell well short of that and also admitted an abject failure in developing the QB over the past two years by bailing on him Saturday for so minimal an asset.

Even still, the Bears will ultimately come out winners at the game’s most important and expensive position by drafting a quarterback No. 1 overall — most likely Caleb Williams of USC.

Not only will Chicago reset the contract clock and keep Williams on a rookie deal for the next four seasons, which will provide the team with huge amounts of salary cap space to build around him, but the Bears will also get one of the most highly-touted QB prospects in recent memory.

Williams frequently catches comparisons to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has won three Super Bowls in seven NFL seasons. Chicago will pair Williams with wide receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, the latter of whom they acquired in trade from the Los Angeles Chargers for a fourth-round pick.

The Bears also signed running back D’Andre Swift in free agency following a Pro Bowl campaign with the Eagles in 2023 and have tight end Cole Kmet under contract through 2027.