Why does Bears' Justin Fields keep being linked with Browns?

It's becoming harder and harder to ignore that some individuals within the NFL community believe the Cleveland Browns could take a flier on Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields as a potential future replacement for starter Deshaun Watson. 

In an article published on Thursday morning, NFL insider Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic predicted that the Browns will trade for Fields either before or after Chicago presumably makes USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

"It makes so much sense if Fields isn’t traded somewhere to start, especially since Watson has underperformed and been injured since joining Cleveland," Rosenblatt wrote. 

Rosenblatt seemingly isn't simply throwing darts while blindfolded. ESPN sports analytics writer Seth Walder predicted before the NFL Scouting Combine that Cleveland will land Fields because Watson is "mostly a sunk cost" who has made just 12 regular-season starts since he joined the Browns from the Houston Texans in March 2022. 

Ben Solak of The Ringer then mentioned after the NFL Combine that he thinks the Browns "would benefit from a low-risk, high-reward swing on the upside of Fields" because they "can escape out of the back door of" the fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract that Watson signed roughly two years ago as soon as next offseason. 

The market for Fields reportedly is not "quite as robust" as he or the Bears hoped. The Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are among teams that have apparently made other plans regarding their 2024 Week 1 starters, and the Pittsburgh Steelers will soon be meeting with Denver Broncos castoff Russell Wilson. 

The Las Vegas Raiders could be interested in Fields but don't "want to put a Band-Aid at that position," and some within the Minnesota Vikings may prefer signing a veteran such as Joe Flacco over trading with a division rival. 

As for why Fields to the Browns "makes sense," Cleveland reportedly replaced offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey this winter because of Dorsey's previous work with dual-threat quarterbacks during his stints with the Carolina Panthers (Cam Newton) and Buffalo Bills (Josh Allen). 

If the Browns lose Flacco to the Vikings, Fields could make for an intriguing "break glass in case of emergency" QB2 as long as Cleveland declines his option worth around $25.7M for the 2025 season by the May 2 deadline for those decisions. 

Logic suggests it's downright silly to think a win-now team such as the Browns would sacrifice even one tradable asset for a backup quarterback who might become a one-year rental. 

Such takes are fair, but they don't explain why this rumor continues to spread throughout the league as the first day of spring approaches.