The Pittsburgh Steelers would prefer to retain one of quarterback Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, but if Fields gets out the door, he’ll have plenty of options in free agency.
One such option could be the Las Vegas Raiders, who NFL.com analyst Nick Shook called the best “team fit” for the young quarterback on the open market.
In a piece for NFL.com highlighting the best fit for 12 key free agents, Shook wrote about a Fields fit with the Raiders under minority owner Tom Brady and new head coach Pete Carroll.
“The Raiders need a quarterback and might not end up being in position to take either of the top passers in this class. Though it’s irrelevant to the Raiders’ financial situation — Las Vegas currently has nearly $100 million in cap space — Justin Fields shouldn’t cost much, and something feels right about pairing the playmaker with Pete Carroll,” Shook writes of Fields as a fit for the Raiders, according to NFL.com. “Perhaps it’s memories of Carroll’s success with Russell Wilson in Seattle, or maybe it’s offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s recent run of success with Will Howard at Ohio State.
“Either way, I feel like this might be the perfect scheme and situation for Fields to use his natural talents and try to claim a starting job in the NFL.”
Coming off a season in which he started six games for the Steelers with Russell Wilson injured to start the season, Fields showed some signs of progress with the Steelers, avoiding the turnovers and the mistakes. But it was just six games — a small sample size. That should limit his market financially in free agency.
That limited market financially from a dollars-per-year standpoint should create quite a large market for the young quarterback from the number of teams interested. The Steelers are reportedly interested in retaining him, but teams like the Jets and now the Raiders have been connected to the former No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Landing in Vegas could be a good opportunity for Fields, as Pete Carroll has quite a bit of weight in the NFL when it comes to the quarterback position. Carroll also shouldn’t be under that much pressure to win right away in Las Vegas, meaning he wouldn’t necessarily be forced to pull the plug on Fields.
Plus, Carroll has shown in the past the ability to build a scheme around his quarterback’s strengths, a la Russell Wilson during their time together in Seattle. The addition of Chip Kelly as the offensive coordinator is big for the Raiders, too. He just had a great deal of success at Ohio State with Will Howard, who has a similar skillset to Fields, which could help Fields take off in his career with another fresh start.
We’ll see if Fields leaves the Steelers in free agency. If he does, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him land in Las Vegas.
