Prominent AFC Team Linked to Trade in Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears may have little choice but to trade quarterback Justin Fields next offseason, and one of the NFL’s premier franchises has emerged as a potential landing spot.

The Las Vegas Raiders released Derek Carr, then signed Jimmy Garappolo to a hefty contract before promptly benching him, changed head coaches and are now starting rookie QB Aidan O’Connell. All-Pro Davante Adams has already asked out of town once, and the New York Jets have been open about their intent to trade for the wide receiver during the offseason and reunite him with Aaron Rodgers.

The Raiders need real answers under center, and they need them fast — circumstances that make them an ideal trade partner for the Bears. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote on November 24 that it is “undoubtedly” possible the Raiders will get in the game for Fields should Chicago make him available.

“This is undoubtedly a possibility, although Aidan O’Connell will have a say in how this plays out with his performance over the next six games,” Bonsignore wrote. “The Raiders do have a connection to Fields. Interim general manager Champ Kelly was with the Bears front office when they drafted the former Ohio State standout.”

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Justin Fields’ Trade Value Is Moving Target

Legitimate concerns surround Fields’ continued limitations in Year 3, but his upside is undeniable.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell contended earlier this year that the QB’s trade value had dipped out of first-round range, but acquiesced that Fields could build it back to that level with a strong end to the season following his return from a dislocated thumb.

In his two games since coming back, Fields has completed almost 72% of his passes and posted ratings of 105.2 and 87.3, respectively. The Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis on Monday Night Football and held a double-digit edge over the division-leading Detroit Lions late in the fourth quarter the week prior.

That said, Fields has produced just one touchdown across those two outings, while fumbling the ball three times and turning it over twice. The Bears’ inability to close out the win over Detroit and the fact that they bested Minnesota just 12-10, earning a win absent a touchdown for the first time in 30 years, have led to widespread national pressure on the front office to move on from Fields should the opportunity to land a top QB prospect present itself.

Chicago currently owns the No. 4 overall pick, as well as the top overall selection via the Carolina Panthers, per Tankathon.

“If the Bears make Fields available, it will be because they are positioned to draft one of their preferred quarterback targets,” Bonsignore wrote. “That could lessen their asking price for Fields, but his market will be predicated on how much interest there is for him.”

Bears Should Be Able to Land Raiders’ 1st-Round Pick in Event of Trade

Fields will play next season at 25 years old and will carry only a $6 million salary cap hit. Any team willing to trade for him will also trade for the right to exercise a fifth-year option next offseason that will keep Fields under a salary-controlled contract through 2025.

The 2024 draft class is deep at quarterback. However, the number of NFL teams with legitimate questions under center translates into several organizations likely developing an interest in trading for someone like Fields — a young QB playing on an affordable contract with a strong arm and the ability to rush from the position as well as anyone in league history.

Were the draft to begin today, the Raiders (5-7) would select at No. 11 — the exact pick the Bears used to select Fields in 2021. Las Vegas will probably need to separate from that asset if it hopes to deal for Chicago’s QB, as the Raiders’ second-round pick is liable to fall too far down on the ladder to be worth the Bears’ time.

If the Raiders want to draft an elite prospect at quarterback, they will probably have to move off that No. 11 pick anyways by including it in a trade package to move up the board. Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of North Carolina are the likely Nos. 1 and 2 picks in some order, and jockeying to land a top signal-caller could continue from there based on teams’ specific circumstances.