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Justin Fields speaks on Ryan Poles, Steelers trade in first Pittsburgh press conference originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
When the Bears traded up to select Justin Fields with the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft, the idea was that he would be the man to end decades of ineptitude at quarterback. Obviously, things didn’t work out that way.
In March the team traded Fields to the Steelers for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025, then drafted Caleb Williams one month later.
Even though things didn’t work out the way Fields would’ve liked to start his career, there doesn’t appear to be any bad blood between him and the team. In fact, in Fields’ first media availability with the Steelers, he shared his appreciation for how GM Ryan Poles treated him on the way out.
Ryan Poles said he wanted to “do right” by Justin Fields.
Fields, today: “Shoutout to Poles, we communicated to him through my agent, and I told him where I wanted to be and this was a place I wanted to be, so he honored that and I appreciate him for that and glad he was able…
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 21, 2024
Poles made it clear he wanted to “do right” by Fields as early as the NFL Combine back in February, saying he wanted to trade him as soon as possible, once the team made the decision to trade him. That’s exactly what Poles did by moving him in March, rather than waiting until the draft to see if a QB-needy team got desperate and offered a higher price. Poles also helped Fields land with a team where he would have the shot to compete for a starting job, rather than being locked into a backup role.
It’s good business on Poles’ part to do his best to make sure Fields didn’t leave Chicago with a bad taste in his mouth. Sure, Poles may have been able to get a better price if he ignored Fields’ wishlist. However, working with Fields helps Poles build a reputation as a GM who will take care of his players– even when they don’t fit in the team’s plans anymore. Of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/justin-fields-speaks-ryan-poles-202347815.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-05-21 20:23:47
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