Rumor: Bears Trade Justin Fields to Hometown Falcons?
The Atlanta Falcons are almost certainly going to be in the quarterback market this offseason after Desmond Ridder was benched following the team's Week 15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Their options are slim, but if they swing for the fences, they may be able to get Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Falcons may be scouting Fields this week to have him become the next quarterback in Atlanta. The Bears are likely to hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams could be their top option, thus making Fields expendable.
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Trading for Fields could be reversing a mistake the Falcons made in 2021.
The Falcons held the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft, with a brand-new regime spearheaded by coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot poised to make their first selection in power.
The three picks ahead of the Falcons were all quarterbacks - the Jacksonville Jaguars took Trevor Lawrence, the New York Jets opted for Zach Wilson and the San Francisco 49ers grabbed Trey Lance.
There were still two highly touted signal callers high on the consensus board - Alabama's Mac Jones and Ohio State's Justin Fields, who played each other in the College Football Playoff National Championship some three months earlier.
Atlanta was believed to be out on Jones, but Fields - the local product who attended Falcons games as a high schooler - seemed like a fine fit for what Smith wanted to do offensively.
And yet, the Falcons opted for Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. The selection provided immediate dividends, as Pitts recorded the second-most receiving yards among rookie tight ends in league history en route to a Pro Bowl nod. However, Pitts has been unable to recapture that rookie year magic with inconsistent quarterback play.
It will take a hefty price, but the Falcons may be able to fix their quarterback woes with a swing for the fences and bring Fields back home to Atlanta this offseason.
