Grading a Steelers-Raiders trade to shake up both QB situations

It didn't make sense when it happened, but we are just going to have to deal with it. Justin Fields was never going to be the Chicago Bears' long-term solution under center. He was fine in three years as their starter, but the prospect of drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall out of USC was too good to pass up. Chicago eventually did that, but not before dumping Fields over to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh already signed Russell Wilson for the veteran's minimum. This pissed Kenny Pickett off and they promptly shipped him to the other side of the state in Philadelphia to be Jalen Hurts' backup. Fields might be better than Wilson, but he should have been traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason, man. I will always stand by that. But what if there is a pathway that gets Fields there?

Here is a trade proposal Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report put out there to get Fields to Las Vegas.

I like it, but the only problem is the Steelers' don't have a sixth-round pick to send. Here's my proposal.

The Raiders would be getting slightly more assets in return, but this deal is within $200,000 of being equal in terms of APY. Again, I would say that swapping sixth-round picks probably makes the deal a bit smoother. The problem is Pittsburgh's sixth-round pick now belongs to the Los Angeles Rams after a trade made during the 2024 NFL Draft. Overall, I do like what Davenport is trying to do here.

Let's unpack Davenport's idea about getting Fields onto the Silver and Black at this point in time.

How Las Vegas Raiders trade for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields

In a vacuum, Davenport does offer the right kind of compensation package to get Fields on the Raiders. Adding him would create a ton of buzz in Las Vegas. He would probably compete with Gardner Minshew II for playing time, as well as probably ending Aidan O'Connell's time in Las Vegas after only one season. Heck, O'Connell could be what the Steelers are looking for in a backup, too.

Because the Raiders did not take a quarterback this year, their ceiling is limited this season. On paper, I would say that they have a decent chance of getting to around .500 and pushing for an AFC Wild Card berth. This is problematic when you don't have a long-term solution at quarterback. Minshew and O'Connell are fine, but aren't long-term answers. I think in a way Fields could have been just that.

Overall, I really do like where Davenport's head is at in this trade proposal. We just need to get a sixth-round pick from somebody to make it work. I am sure we could make a deal that sent O'Connell to Pittsburgh in exchange for Fields playing on the last year of his contract. If the Raiders were able to get a long-term extension done with Fields, then great. If not, well, they may be drafting a quarterback.

Even if it is not in-conference, unlike Chicago, there is a way where the Steelers and Raiders do this.

Grade: B+ for not bad, but the Steelers don't have sixth-round pick to give away anymore