Justin Fields, Kyle Pitts, and a draft pick? That’s one daring notion floated by ESPN as the Chicago Bears consider their choices for the 2024 season.
In ESPN’s preview guide for the 2024 offseason, Aaron Schatz offered “big predictions” for each of the 32 clubs, including the Atlanta Falcons trading for Fields from the Bears. He also stated that Chicago could obtain Pitts, the fourth overall choice in the 2021 NFL draft, as part of the deal compensation.
“The Falcons will use Pitts as part of a package to pry quarterback Justin Fields away from the Bears before Chicago uses the No. 1 overall pick on a new starting quarterback,” Schatz wrote in the Falcons’ section of the article.
As the NFL Scouting Combine approaches, there is growing speculation that the Bears may utilize the first overall choice to select a new quarterback, most likely Caleb Williams from USC. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote in his Senior Bowl notes that “most people I talked to in Mobile expect” the Bears to keep the top pick.
If the Bears choose a quarterback with the choice, they must determine what to do with Fields — or, more specifically, which team is ready to make the best trade offer for the former Ohio State standout. The Falcons could likely make a strong argument for themselves if they offered Pitts, but would they do so?
Falcons Face Fifth-Year Option Decision on Kyle Pitts
The Falcons may not be interested in trading one of their top offensive players to get a new quarterback, but they may explore moving Pitts if they are not convinced of his long-term prospects and do not intend to pick up his fifth-year option.
Pitts had 1,026 receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl in his first season, but he has largely disappointed the Falcons since then. While there are genuine concerns of how Atlanta’s offensive staff has used him, he has not performed well enough on his own to meet the expectations that come with being a top-5 overall pick.
With that in mind, the Falcons must decide by May 2 whether to pick up his fifth-year option for the 2025 season, which Over the Cap estimates to be worth approximately $10.56 million. They are already obligated to pay a similar cap charge — approximately $10.47 million — in 2024 during the final year of his rookie deal, but if they move him before June 1, that figure could be practically halved to around $5.3 million.
Pitts’ fifth-year option is also being debated, as is whether he should be categorized as a tight end or wide receiver. According to Pro Football Focus, the 23-year-old has lined up in the slot on 49.6% of his snaps and spent the remaining 30% out wide. If the NFL decides to let him be classified as a receiver, Atlanta will have to plan to pay him considerably more than expected during his 2025 option year.
The Bears could use Kyle Pitts as a big-bodied possession receiver.
A hypothetical in which the Bears trade Justin Fields for a tight end may not appear appealing at first look, but Pitts is more extraordinary than the average tight end.
As previously said, Pitts, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 247 pounds, plays more like a big-bodied wide receiver than a classic in-line tight end. The Bears might benefit immensely from adding a pass-catcher with his skill level, especially after Chase Claypool flopped. They could also need tight end depth, as Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis are set to enter free agency when the new league year begins on March 13.
In addition, the Bears must consider their rookie quarterback in this circumstance. DJ Moore is an excellent No. 1 option, and Cole Kmet has established himself as a high-quality, dependable starting tight end over the last two seasons, but Pitts would add another dynamic wrinkle to Shane Waldron’s reconstructed Bears offence in 2024, especially if the Bears add more receiving talent via free agency or the draft.
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