Should the Atlanta Falcons trade for Justin Fields?
The rumours are already beginning to swirl regarding Justin Fields and his future. The one I’m all in for, is the possibility of the Atlanta Falcons trading for his services and it makes a lot of sense. So let’s take a dive into that possibility.
Let’s start with Fields current situation in Chicago. When the Bears drafted him, which for context, wasn’t by their current GM and HC, Fields was looked at as an up and coming superstar – the saviour of the franchise. However, since 2021 it has been a tough watch.
Fields has often had to produce the miraculous run that sees a huge loss turned into a massive gain or a highlight reel and as exciting as they are to watch, he doesn’t just do it because he is talented, but because he has had to scramble for his life due to the lack of protection up front.
Current Bears HC Matt Eberflus has made a point of wanting to see Fields improve his passing game but that now looks to be inplace of his skill set, rather than going alongside it to create a cheat code quarterback.
The Bears at this very moment hold the number one and two picks in the draft, which features another sought after QB whose name doesn’t even need to be mentioned, but let’s say the Bears are likely suitors for his services.
Now you also need to look at what transpired with Lance and the 49ers. They managed to land a 4th round pick for Lance, so GM Poles must be confident he can gain considerably more for Justin Fields. With the losses continuing to rack up and no signs of things turning around, if I was Fields, I’d be pushing to find a new home. What if that home could be in Atlanta?
Let’s now look at that possibility. One key point to keep in mind is that Ryan Pace, the former Bears GM who was the very man to bring Fields to Chicago, is now part of the Falcons front office. So this potential rumour has a little more depth to it than many.
Do the Falcons need Justin Fields? The answer for me is Yes. Desmond Ridder, to his credit, has a lot of guts and is a good QB. However, you just need to look at the first half in London, which clearly shows that he just isn’t cut out to be the QB of a team who could be potentially really good.
Now if the Falcons were to offer the Bears a good package, you have a dual threat quarterback with Bijan Robinson behind him, Drake London and potentially Kyle Pitts, if the Falcons fancy getting him involved.
Although the Pitts story is for another day. Back to the point though, can you imagine that offense? Defensive coordinators wouldn’t know what to do and you instantly upgrade your team to a playoff contender. You also play in a wide open division that is up for grabs, so this kind of move isn’t a panic one, it’s a calculated risk with a huge upside.
Now is it likely to happen? The answer is maybe. We don’t know what conversations are taking place, but considering the Falcons know they need a QB upgrade and the Bears know they have serious draft power, with the potential to add even more… I would say it’s likely and the more you sit and think about it, the more this makes sense. Justin Fields will take some blame for the state of the Bears, but he should only take a small amount of that blame, he was drafted into a franchise who were already in some form of a state and it has only gotten worse.
A trade to Atlanta could be the perfect opportunity for him to reset and restart. He can take all the experiences, good or bad, and find himself in a position under HC Arthur Smith who will more than likely fancy his chances of bringing out the best in Fields.
I’ll finish again by saying the Pace and Fields connection is not something to overlook here. That opportunity for both teams to benefit from such a deal is very much there. Lastly, imagine, I mean just imagine, the thought of Justin Fields and Bijan Robinson together. That gets the juices going, what a duo that could be and I’m all in on this, if it happens, which I badly hope it does.
I think the Falcons in the next couple of years will look back and say what a deal we pulled off. The Bears though, I think currently are likely to bring in another extremely talented quarterback, only to be in a similar position in a couple of years time. Their issues run far deeper than the quarterback and until they resolve them I don’t see any real positive signs for fans in Chicago.
No. Memories of Michael Vick still haunt the Falcon faithful. I’m not saying he’s Vick, but I doubt he passes the Falcon filter.