Los Angeles Chargers: Rumor states team made curious inquiry into QB trade

During the offseason leading into the 2024 NFL season, it was no secret that the Chicago Bears would likely trade quarterback Justin Fields. In possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, the Bears had their sights set on Caleb Williams.

Many teams were considered a good fit for Fields but the Los Angeles Chargers were not one of the teams that were mentioned by pretty much anyone as a potential destination. However, during a recent appearance on "Just Football with Cam Heyward" , Fields revealed to his new Pittsburgh Steelers teammate that the Chargers were in fact interested.

The discussion comes around the 35:30 mark of the episode where Fields addresses other teams that were in the mix to trade for him. The Bears helped facilitate a trade to a team he wanted to go to.

"There were a lot of teams that already had solidified quarterbacks, and I didn't want to do that," Fields said. "Chargers were one, Ravens were another. Raiders, they talked a little bit. I don't know too much. Who else was in there, I don't know, but a lot of teams had solidified quarterbacks who just got new contracts, so I wasn't really trying to be there cause like I kinda know how that shakes out"

The Chargers certainly have an established quarterback so they would have been looking into Fields as a backup, but even that is a bit of a surprise.

This news comes out just one week after Fields led the Steelers to a 20-10 win over the Chargers, handing L.A. its first loss of the season.

Chargers front office looked into acquiring Justin Fields

Looking back on things now, the Chargers' backup quarterback position has been one of the most talked-about aspects of the team this season. Adding Fields would have been a huge upgrade over Easton Stick, so it's likely the team recognized the weakness of the QB2 spot before plantar fasciitis became a concern for Herbert.

Fields ended up going to Pittsburgh for next to nothing (a conditional day 3 pick in the 2025 draft) so the price would have been attainable. It seems that Fields' desire to start for a team led him to Pittsburgh and to this point, that has worked out for him as Russell Wilson has been unable to play due to a calf injury.

Jim Harbaugh went all the way to the Super Bowl the year his starter, Alex Smith, went down with an injury and he had to plug Colin Kaepernick into the lineup. Fields has many of the same traits as Kaepernick so it would have been an intriguing fit.

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