Are the Las Vegas Raiders serious about pursuing Justin Fields?
Another day, another Justin Fields trade proposal; it appears that post-football winter has arrived, at least until the Scouting Combine, free agency in March, and the long-awaited NFL Draft in April.
The NFL Is Officially In Slow Season Following Climactic Super Bowl.
Soon, it will be the beginning of May, and while there will be no more football-related events to look forward to outside of the occasional news burst and now somehow marquee event of the NFL schedule release, at least it will be warm and summer, and we will be able to enjoy ourselves outside of this all-consuming sport.
However, for the time being, and for the next few weeks, we are still in that post-Super Bowl frigid February period when the sporting world comes to a halt, and we must rely on the dependable rumour mill.
And no one has circled this mill more than Justin Fields, the current Chicago Bears quarterback.
Justin Fields is on the move during the turbulent offseason.
After seemingly unending trade proposals and speculation over his future, it appears like Justin Fields may be on the move after unfollowing the Chicago Bears on Twitter, amid heated speculation that the Bears will select Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the April draft.
After being connected to both the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN’s Field Yates believes the Las Vegas Raiders should now be considered real candidates for his services.
Las Vegas Raiders: A Natural Fit for Fields?
According to Yates, Justin Fields’ ties to Vegas through former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who is now the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, may impact the move in a positive way.
“After hiring Luke Getsy (previously the Bears’ offensive coordinator) as offensive coordinator, no other team has a better understanding of what Fields contributes than the Raiders. Getsy’s opinion would undoubtedly have an impact on the feasibility of completing such a transaction.”
And, while coordinators like to bring players with them to their new clubs, after receiving widespread criticism for his treatment of the former 11th overall choice, it does not appear that Getsy – or Fields – would necessarily want an immediate reunion.
On the other end of the transaction, Yates has the Raiders handing up a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft (73 overall) and Hunter Renfrow, a former Pro Bowl slot receiver.
While Renfrow has a Pro Bowl in 2021, he has not been the same talent in the past two seasons, beginning with the adoption of Josh Josh’s offence and continuing through the current Antonio Pierce regime.
Renfrow had over 1000 yards from the slot in 2021, but has only achieved half of that number since, totaling 585 yards over the previous two seasons, despite signing a two-year, $32 million agreement following his Pro Bowl year.
However, his worth has never been linked to his athletic prowess; he famously ran a 4.59 in the 2019 Scouting Combine, thus it appears that he is being used in the incorrect scheme rather than experiencing early physical decline.
Fields could thrive in Las Vegas if the pieces are around him and the offensive line is significantly upgraded; however, one can’t help but believe that the Raiders are in the process of overhauling their offence and would prefer to draft someone new or sign a low-level free agent rather than spend valuable draft capital on Fields.
Leave a Reply