TRADE AGREED: NFL top journalist reveals Bears could facilitate Falcons top trade target for star QB prospect in 2024 NFL Draft

The Falcons are returning from their bye week with Desmond Ridder set to start against the Saints.
There’s a lot riding on this Week 12 game because Atlanta can take over first place in the NFC South with a win or effectively end their playoff hopes with a loss. In the same breath, Ridder is given another chance to prove he is a franchise quarterback.

However, regardless of what Ridder does or does not do in the final seven games, the Falcons should be looking for a signal caller this offseason. His potential limits the offense’s and thus the team’s potential.

Whether it’s a free agent or a draft pick, Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot can’t afford to be complacent at the sport’s most important position.

Kirk Cousins is a fascinating option. He would not accept any capital other than a short-term, high AAV contract and would provide the Falcons with a veteran presence not seen since Matt Ryan. However, his Achilles injury complicates matters.
Another option is the trade market. If the Falcons go in this direction, there are two options. The first step is to acquire a quarterback from a team that has the option of selecting either Drake Maye or Caleb Williams. Consider the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray or the Bears’ Justin Fields.

On the other hand, the Falcons could mortgage their future by trading multiple first-round picks and/or players to a team that could land Maye or Williams but prefers their in-house quarterback.

In order to move on from Justin Fields, Chicago would have to be “blown away” by a 2024 prospect, according to Ian Rapoport.

So it appears that they could auction off their top draft pick again, as they did last year when they traded the first overall pick to the Panthers, who drafted Bryce Young.

 

The Bears currently hold the first and fourth overall picks. The latter is their choice, while the former is Carolina’s. If Ryan Pace wanted to keep building around Justin Fields, acquiring more draft capital could be beneficial.

The Falcons would be fools not to send a package similar to what the Panthers did last year — two first-round picks and two second-round picks in addition to D.J. Moore — for the chance to land Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.