LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 23: Las Vega Raiders assistant coach Antonio Pierce yells at Maxx Crosby (98) during the NFL game featuring the Houston Texans against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 23, 2022 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Raiders Predicted to Trade Top Pick for Disgruntled Bears Star
We have seen some of the good from Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. But alas, the more he plays, the more we see the bad—he holds the ball too long, he has a tendency to overthrow, he can be too aggressive, he almost never runs. That is, perhaps, one reason we’re already getting Las Vegas rumors about future quarterbacks. The folks at Bleacher Report have an interesting one: a Bears-Justin Fields trade with the Raiders.
Now, much would have to fall in just the right way for the Raiders to make a Justin Fields trade. First, the Bears would have to land one of the Top 2 picks in the draft, to ensure they are able to draft either USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
Second, the Raiders front office, currently led by interim GM Champ Kelly and coach Antonio Pierce, would have to see enough from O’Connell to determine he is not their guy from here on. And third, the Raiders would need to be sure that they like Fields more than the second-tier quarterbacks—and there are some good ones—in this year’s draft, because Fields is likely to cost a first-round pick.
If all that happens? Well, then seeing a Justin Fields trade to the Raiders makes some sense.
‘On the Hunt for a Franchise Quarterback’?
Here’s how the writer of the article, Alex Ballentine, sees the justification, assuming all the above conditions are met. Remember, Chicago has Carolina’s first-round pick this year, and Sunday’s improbable Giants win over Washington has put the Panthers in the driver’s seat for the league’s worst record, at 1-9.
The Bears are 3-8 this season and could easily wind up factoring into the No. 1 pick conversation with their own pick. They’re only a game out of the No. 2 pick. At 5-6, the Raiders are in line to pick 14th. It’s likely the Raiders would have to include that as the main hook in a Justin Fields trade.
“If that’s the case, any team who is on the hunt for a franchise quarterback but won’t have the draft pick to take the top two options could be in play,” Ballentine wrote.
