Falcons Dilemma: Trade for Higher Pick or Justin Fields?
The Atlanta Falcons are in a conundrum as the offseason begins to pick up.
In the coming weeks, they will have to decide what route at quarterback they want to go in ... and they have a few options.
With the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft, they likely aren't in position to select the best quarterbacks in the class. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are all expected to be gone before then. J.J. McCarthy may be there at No. 8, but the Falcons aren't in the business of selecting the fourth-best quarterback in the draft.
Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) scrambles away from outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter (0) for yards in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.
Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Per NFL Draft analyst Cam Marino, the Falcons are likeliest to go in this direction for the "apple of their eye," which is Maye. They will have a chance to evaluate these quarterbacks at next week's NFL Combine and meet with them to see if they pass the interview tests.
The Falcons will have about two weeks to decide if they need to line their ducks in a row to make the trade up in the draft with either the Chicago Bears at No. 1, Washington Commanders at No. 2 or the New England Patriots at No. 3. However, all three of those teams could look into drafting a top quarterback themselves.
Therefore, if the market isn't in their favor, they could opt to sign a veteran like Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins.
But as the Combine comes, the Bears hold all the cards. They can keep the top pick and take Williams or they can keep Fields and trade the selection to the highest bidder. The Commanders and Patriots could also decide what their plans look like with quarterbacks and figure things out there.
The Falcons are going to have to react to whatever the teams ahead of them in the draft do in order to formulate their plans ... which isn't the ideal place to operate from, but it's the cards they've been dealt.
