The Chicago Bears could garner interest from a few teams if they decide to put quarterback Justin Fields on the trade block during the 2024 offseason, but the Las Vegas Raiders may have just informally bowed out of the conversation.

The Raiders have been mentioned in media circles as a potential trade suitor for Fields given their need for a new starting quarterback. They still have Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster — and under contract through 2025 — but they benched him just six games into his first season with them in 2023 and appear unlikely to backtrack at this point.

The Raiders also hold the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, which means they are likely outside of the range to get one of the top three quarterbacks in the class.

Any thought that the Raiders might pursue Fields, though, went out the window on February 4 when they hired former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to the same position on Antonio Pierce’s 2024 staff. The Bears spent the past two years learning the hard way that Getsy’s offensive scheme does not mesh well enough with Fields’ skill set.

Raiders insider Vic Tafur of The Athletic also inferred that the team’s decision to hire Getsy indicates they believe Fields — not Getsy — was more to blame for the struggles the Bears offense endured over their two seasons working together.

“Last thought: To Me, Getsy means no trade for Fields,” Tafur wrote on X on February 4. “Because the Raiders feel Getsy wasn’t the problem with the Bears offense.”

Which Other Teams Might Trade for Justin Fields?
The Raiders could use a new quarterback, but the interviews they conducted to find their next offensive coordinator suggest they never thought of Fields as a real option.

Before bringing in Getsy, the Raiders had planned to hire USC’s Kliff Kingsbury to run their offense. He ultimately withdrew his name from consideration and accepted the OC job with the Washington Commanders instead, but he would have given them another mismatch for Fields, who does not have the skill set to run Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense.

Even after eliminating both the Raiders and Commanders from contention, though, the Bears could still have several potential trade partners for Fields if they go that direction.

The odds-on favorite remains the Atlanta Falcons. They are Fields’ hometown team and have an obvious need at the quarterback position with an offense loaded with weapons. Perhaps they would rather acquire a more experienced quarterback, such as Russell Wilson, or see if one falls to them at No. 8 overall in the draft, but Fields makes sense.

The Denver Broncos could also be in play. They are expected to either cut or trade Wilson in the next several weeks and will need someone to replace him. If general manager George Paton does not like their quarterback outlook with the 12th pick, he could instead roll the dice on Fields and see if a fresh start unlocks his potential.

Could Bears Still Keep Justin Fields for 2024 Season?
A consensus is starting to form about what the Bears will do with the No. 1 overall pick. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote in his Senior Bowl notes that most people he spoke with in Mobile “expect the Chicago Bears to make the pick at No. 1, presumably for [Caleb] Williams.” The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs also heard similar things on his end.

“The question this week was similar when I crossed paths with GMs who are diving into draft preparation: What do you think the Bears will do at the top of the draft this time around,” Biggs wrote on February 3. “The resounding answer from five GMs I spoke with was clear: Bears GM Ryan Poles will draft a quarterback with the top pick.”

Expectations from the outside are not the same as the reality on the inside, though. At this point, it is likely nobody aside from Poles and his closest confidantes knows what the team is going to do about their quarterback dilemma. And while some fans are clearly on board with Williams coming to Chicago, there are still good reasons why the Bears might instead opt to keep Fields and continue building around him in 2024.

The Bears have an extremely valuable asset in the No. 1 overall pick. If they decide to move back from the top spot, they could receive a massive trade package in return that makes last year’s haul — a 2024 first, 2023 and 2025 seconds and DJ Moore — look like child’s play. Some experts even believe they could receive three first-rounders.

How the Bears feel about Fields’ long-term potential could ultimately decide for them, but it is tempting to think they could double up on first-rounders for the next few years.