Raiders trading for Justin Fields makes absolutely zero sense

In an offseason full of unknowns, one thing we do know for sure is that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to make a significant move at the quarterback position.

It's a glaring need, and everyone knows the team is going to make something happen. The only question is, what move will they make?

Recently, the Raiders have been linked to Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields in a potential trade.

Fields has become one of the best rushing quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen, but still faces question marks as a passer. He's probably going to be dealt ahead of the draft, as the Bears will presumably select USC quarterback Caleb Williams no. 1 overall.

The problem is, it doesn't make sense for the Raiders to trade for Fields.

If the Raiders are going to trade draft capital for a quarterback, it should be for one of this year's top rookie prospects, not Justin Fields.

I understand a Fields trade would cost less than a trade for a top prospect, but the Raiders aren't a team that is in position to win a Super Bowl right now. Trading for Fields would be a move that Las Vegas makes if they thought they were closer to winning than they actually are.

Instead, moving up and selecting one of the top prospects in this year's draft would fit the timeline. Las Vegas would get far more use out of resetting the quarterback clock on a rookie contract than they would trading for Fields.

You're talking about a guy who the Raiders will have to pay in the very near future, and with the way quarterback contracts are going, that's not something Las Vegas will want to do just yet -- especially for a quarterback who has yet to prove himself as a passer in this league.

The Raiders would get one year out of Fields at a cheaper rate before the price goes way up. Instead, moving up and drafting one of Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or even J.J. McCarthy would give the Raiders four more years not having to worry about paying up for a quarterback.

That way, Las Vegas could continue pouring financial resources into the other areas of this roster that, by the way, need a whole lot of work (looking at you, cornerback position).

Building up an elite roster around a low-cost quarterback should be the way Las Vegas decides to go, and if they traded for Fields, they'd be looking at a contract easily surpassing $30 million annually in the near future.