Word surfaced shortly after the Senior Bowl that teams have already approached the Chicago Bears about a potential Justin Fields trade. While the team isn’t actively shopping him, they’re listening to offers. The general consensus is that GM Ryan Poles will likely decide after the scouting combine at the end of this month. That is where all the top NFL executives will be, giving him a perfect opportunity to do some serious negotiating. It’s where he put together the blockbuster deal with Carolina last year.
The apparent sticking point is which teams might be involved. There is no shortage of those who need a quarterback. Not all of them will find their answer in the draft. In fact, most of them won’t. That leaves them with a decision. They can either take their chances in free agency or they can pursue a trade for Fields. National insider Jordan Schultz of The Score appeared on CBS Sports Radio to discuss the situation. From what he’s hearing, at least one team is positioning itself to be involved in the Fields sweepstakes.
Justin Fields to Atlanta has always made the most sense.
Several factors lean into it. For one, Fields is a Georgia native. He went to high school and his first year of college there. There is also the fact Ryan Pace has a high spot in Atlanta’s front office. He was the one who traded up for Fields in 2021. Thinking he’d be pushing for a reunion isn’t a stretch. The Falcons obviously need a quarterback. They can’t go another year with Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke. One big obstacle in their way is sitting 8th in the 1st round. That isn’t high enough to secure one of the top three projected quarterbacks. In other words, they will either have to move up or settle for the fourth-best option on the board.
Not ideal.
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Conversely, trading for Justin Fields would enable them to keep their 1st round pick while giving them a clear upgrade at the position. The NFC South is a weak division. They have a strong enough roster to make a run. All they need is somebody decent enough at quarterback. Selling ownership on Fields wouldn’t be too difficult. Whether they can make an offer that will entice Poles is another story. Atlanta has a 2nd and two 3rd round picks. The 2nd and one of those 3rds would probably be enough to close a deal. As always, it depends on how much they’re willing to pay.
While the measurables are a great scale to use to look at QBs it’s the hidden skills like grace under pressure that have been the final ingredient in many careers. Sure, first picks are usually overhyped, I said usually not always, but those that fall somewhere down the list didn’t always have the exposure for one reason or another. Or, they simply didn’t project with some of the silly talking heads like Kiper. Very good post here Dr. Melhus. It’s been said before, only 1 in 3 to 5 tend to be all that and a bag of chips as… Read more »
Why in the world would it make any difference where a guy went to High School as to where he might end up landing? Sorry, but this is just absurd!
All signs suggest that Mayfield will stay in Tampa. There are 2 caveats there though. Mayfield said, “If I’m back I want Mike back”, meaning Mike Evans and there appears to be no agreements near for Bucs and Evans. In fact, a few reports suggest the Bears should take Evans away with 20M because he has the WR gravitas the Bears lack. OK, I guess I’ll expand on this while were here. 1) Bucs had Seattle’s old Qb coach Canales as OC who was credited with helping Geno and the Panthers hired him away (Sound familiar?). So Baker did well… Read more »
I read Cousins might sign with Atlanta. They have options, too. Denver is the desperate team. LAC has no cap. No idea what TB is going to do.
I’m with Slip Knotz here. If Atlanta does their due diligence well, they could likely have their choice of McCarthy, Penix, or Nix. The first two played in the National Championship game, and the third didn’t make the college playoffs because Penix’s Huskies beat his Beavers twice. Here’s a list of some not top pick QBs: Mahomes chosen after Trubisky, Allen chosen after Mayfield and Darnold, Lamar Jackson chosen after those three and Josh Rosen (at pick #32, no less), Derek Carr after Bortles, Manziel, and Bridgewater, etc. You don’t need the top pick to get the best QB in… Read more »