Report: Falcons' Arthur Blank Prefers Bears' Justin Fields vs. Vikings' Kirk Cousins?
With less than 24 hours to go until the start of the NFL free agency, which will kick off on Monday with the legal tampering period, the Atlanta Falcons still look set to add a quarterback in the coming weeks.
Whether that comes via free agency or a trade is yet to be known. However, despite the recent increasing buzz about the Falcons being a leading candidate to sign current Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, a new report has kept the rumors of a trade for Justin Fields alive.
According to a report from the Washington Post reporter Jason La Canfora, Falcons owner Arthur Blank thinks highly of the current Chicago Bears quarterback.
"Multiple rival executives suggested to me that Falcons owner Arthur Blank is higher on Fields, a former first-round pick, than many of his football staffers, and Atlanta is doing a lot of work on free agents Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson, as well," La Canfora writes. "I expect one of those three will land in Atlanta."
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With Baker Mayfield agreeing to a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, one of the top available quarterbacks in free agency has already been taken off the board. This seemingly confirms La Canfora's report that the Falcons may be down to Cousins, Wilson, and Fields.
While Blank may like Fields, it isn't clear how much he'll insert himself into the decision about who will be the Falcons' next quarterback. As the team's owner, he can overrule everyone else, but if that liking dates back to the 2021 NFL Draft, then who's to say Fields isn't already in Atlanta?
And after three seasons in Chicago, it is hard to argue that Fields has done anything to make the Falcons or Blank feel any stronger about him. While that lack of development certainly cannot all be placed on the shoulders of the former Ohio State Buckeye, Fields hasn't exactly played to the potential many saw in him coming out of college.
This begs the question of what the Falcons will prioritize. Will it be a younger and cheaper quarterback like Fields? Or a more veteran and successful option like Cousins, who may cost more?
