Getty Las Vegas Raiders GM Tom Telesco.
The Las Vegas Raiders may still be looking for an offensive coordinator with Kliff Kingsbury backing out but that won’t change the fact that the team needs a quarterback. A good quarterback will make the job of the next offensive coordinator much easier.
With the Raiders picking at No. 13, it will be difficult to get a top quarterback. Out of the top three teams picking in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears could be the most open to considering a trade as they have Justin Fields on the roster. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pitched a trade that would have the Raiders send Chicago the Nos. 13, 44 and 77 picks in 2024, 2025 first- and third-round picks and 2026 first- and second-round picks.
“It’s tough to imagine the Bears going much lower than No. 13, at which point they’re just adding draft picks without any firm knowledge of where they’re going to land or what will be left on the board when the first pick they’re getting in this deal actually arrives,” Barnwell wrote in a February 1 column. “I can see making a speculative trade with the Raiders and hoping, like the Panthers, they end up moving down and still landing a top-four pick in the 2025 draft for being patient. I’m just not sure that really makes sense with keeping Fields.”
This would be a steep price for the Raiders to pay but it would allow them to pick whichever prospect they wanted.
Who Would Las Vegas Raiders Take With No. 1 Pick?
If the Raiders were to trade all of those picks for the No. 1 pick, it would be so they can draft a quarterback. The favorite to be the No. 1 pick is former USC quarterback Caleb Williams. He’s the top prospect in the draft and the Raiders would almost certainly take them if they had the No. 1 pick.
Former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels could be in the mix as he has close ties to head coach Antonio Pierce. However, Williams is younger and more of a sure thing. Daniels would likely be the player the team would target if they could get the No. 2 or No. 3 pick but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Washington Commanders or New England Patriots are willing to trade down.
Caleb Williams… are you serious?
Chicago Bears Likely to Keep No. 1 Pick
If the Bears were open to trading the No. 1 pick, there would be a bidding war between teams wanting to draft Caleb Williams. Chicago could get a serious haul in return. However, it’s looking like an option the Bears won’t consider, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“Teams are starting to line up the imaginary dominoes, trying to forecast how the top of the draft will shake out,” Fowler wrote in a February 3 column. “Most people I talked to in Mobile expect the Chicago Bears to make the pick at No. 1, presumably for Williams.”
The Bears have never had a truly great quarterback in the entire history of the franchise. While Justin Fields has shown flashes, he hasn’t shown nearly enough to convince the team to skip over a generational talent like Williams. That said, the Bears are an odd franchise and could decide that they want Fields. It’ll be something to watch until Fields is traded to another team.