Justin Fields definitely won’t be going to the Raiders now
You can probably cross the Raiders off of Justin Fields list of 2024 teams…The Chicago Bears ended their relationship with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy this offseason, replacing him with former Seattle Seahawks assistant Shane Waldron. The change at offensive coordinator has led many to believe that the Bears will be moving on from Fields and utilizing the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on their new quarterback of the future.
Those are reasonable expectations given Fields is also entering a contract year with a 5th-year option for 2025, but the Bears at this point are not expected to pick that up. So, Justin Fields will likely be on the move, right? After the way he finished the 2023 season, the Bears should be able to get some decent trade value in return for him, and the initial rumors have included the Las Vegas Raiders as a possible destination in 2024.
But now, the Raiders don’t appear to be a viable option. Even though you typically look for connections as reasons to project players to new destinations, the Raiders’ recent decision to hire former Bears OC Luke Getsy is reason enough to cross them off of the hypothetical Justin Fields list.
So if Justin Fields showed necessary progression this past season under Luke Getsy, why would the Raiders not be an option anymore? Wouldn’t Getsy’s presence there help Fields’s chances of landing in Las Vegas?
Not really.
First of all, consider the fact that the Bears fired Getsy due to the offense’s lack of success. The marriage between Fields and Getsy is the reason Getsy got fired in the first place. The Bears didn’t like the direction. They didn’t like the way Getsy worked with Fields.
Why would Getsy sign off on running the same offense that just got him fired in Chicago?
Second, why would the Raiders put themselves in an unfavorable position of having to stick with Justin Fields in the final year (or two, if they want it) of Fields’s rookie contract when they have three years of team control with Aidan O’Connell, who had a strong rookie season? I don’t think enough attention was paid to the rookie season O’Connell just had in Las Vegas, and perhaps Getsy can run a better overall operation with him than he could with Fields.
From Fields’s perspective, why would you follow Getsy into a Black Hole? Fields was pretty open about not loving the offense he was in with Chicago, and you have to think he’s going to be looking for a fresh start.
While the prospect of throwing to Davante Adams and the Raiders’ receiver group is enticing, I think the hiring of Luke Getsy in Las Vegas has effectively destroyed the idea that the Raiders will even attempt to acquire Justin Fields. They’d be better off just sticking with Aidan O’Connell and perhaps looking to reset in the 2024 or 2025 NFL Draft.
For Justin Fields, perhaps a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers could emerge as a viable option now. The Steelers have hired Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, and Smith has orchestrated some strong offenses with QBs who excel in the running game in recent years.
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