The Atlanta Falcons will almost probably be in the market for a quarterback this offseason after benching Desmond Ridder following the team’s Week 15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Their alternatives are limited, but if they go all-in, they might be able to land Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Falcons may be scouting Fields this week in order to make him their next quarterback. The Bears are expected to have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and USC quarterback Caleb Williams may be their top option, making Fields expendable.
Trading for Fields might be a way for the Falcons to correct a mistake they made in 2021.
The Falcons possessed the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and a brand-new regime led by coach Arthur Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot was prepared to make their first pick in power.
The three picks ahead of the Falcons were all quarterbacks: Trevor Lawrence for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Zach Wilson for the New York Jets, and Trey Lance for the San Francisco 49ers.
There were still two highly regarded signal callers on the consensus list: Alabama’s Mac Jones and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who had met three months previously in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Atlanta was thought to be passing on Jones, but Fields – a local product who went to Falcons games as a kid – appeared like a good fit for what Smith wanted to do offensively.
Nonetheless, the Falcons chose Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts had the second-most receiving yards among rookie tight ends in league history and was named to the Pro Bowl as a result of his nomination. Pitts, on the other hand, has been unable to repeat his rookie year brilliance due to uneven quarterback performance.
The Falcons may be able to remedy their quarterback troubles this offseason by swinging for the fences and bringing Fields back home to Atlanta.
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