We have seen several quarterbacks experience career resurgences with new teams over the last few seasons. Baker Mayfield with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jared Goff with the Detroit Lions and Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks have all seen a turnaround after changing teams.
The latest addition to that group could be quarterback Justin Fields.
Fresh starts can give players a chance to reset and leave the struggles of the past in the past. And Fields was certainly in need of a change in scenery.
The 25-year-old was drafted 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. While he was expected to be the savior that the Bears were searching for, it didn't pan out.
Through a 2023 trade with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears needed to choose: They either needed to commit to Fields long-term or reset at the position.
In the end, Chicago drafted Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick and Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the move could be the start of a career renaissance for Fields.
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Justin Fields contract details
Fields was a first-round pick by the Bears, meaning that he had a fifth-year option tied to his contract. Teams will often trade into the back half of the first round rather than select at the early part of the second because they get that extra year of control if they want it.
Fields' rookie deal was for four years, $18.87 million, per Spotrac. It included an $11.09 million signing bonus and was fully guaranteed.
When the Steelers traded for the quarterback, they had the ability to pick up his fifth-year option. If they did, Fields would have been paid $25.66 million for 2025. Pittsburgh declined it, meaning Fields will hit free agency after this season unless the Steelers sign him to an extension during the 2024 season, which would be an unusual move.
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Justin Fields contract projection
Fields has played just four games so far for Pittsburgh but has led them to a 3-1 record. While he hasn't lit up the stat sheet, wins are wins in the NFL, so Fields could be a valuable commodity.
Whether it is in Pittsburgh or for another team, Fields is likely going to sign a short-term prove-it deal for his next contract. Similar things happened with Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers as well as Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Love was signed to a one-year, $22.5 million extension for the 2023 season. He led the Packers to the playoffs with a 9-8 record and a first-round win over the Dallas Cowboys. Green Bay rewarded these efforts by making Love the highest-paid quarterback of all time at the time of the deal. He was signed to a four-year, $220 million deal with $160.3 million guaranteed.
Mayfield was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. It took him some time to adjust, though, and he was traded to the Carolina Panthers, released and then signed by the Los Angeles Rams.
Then Mayfield signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Buccaneers. He led Tampa Bay to a third straight NFC South title and a first round playoff win in 2023, then returned to the Buccaneers on a three-year, $100 million contract with $50 million guaranteed.
Fields is likely going to wind up somewhere in the middle of the one-year deals signed by Love and Mayfield. Barring a huge step forward, he isn't going to garner close to what Jordan Love got with the Packers, but he should see more than Mayfield got in his first deal with the Bucs.
Sam Darnold joined the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year, $10 million deal ahead of the 2024 season. If Fields can build on his start, play more consistently and lead the Steelers to a playoff berth, it wouldn't be surprising to see his short-term contract land around Darnold's number.
