Is Justin Fields out to bury childhood-favorite Falcons for passing on him?

Justin Fields grew up an Atlanta Falcons fan, but now the Chicago Bears quarterback is looking to show them that passing on a star hometown kid was an all-time blunder.

If you don’t know anything about Justin Fields, the first order of business is to understand that he holds grudges and he never forgets. It can be personal, similar to another star athlete in Chicago that wore No. 23.

That was exemplified during Wednesday’s media session after practice before the Chicago Bears‘ upcoming bout with the Atlanta Falcons. Fields, a Georgia native from Kennesaw, grew up a massive fan of the black and red; his father had season tickets, and Fields idolized All-Pro Julio Jones.

So what’s the beef? In 2021, the Falcons held the fourth pick behind Jacksonville, New York (Jets), and San Francisco. All three went with quarterbacks; Trevor Lawrence (a high school in-state rival of Fields), Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance. Fields was right there for Atlanta to take and usher in a new era.

Instead, the Falcons chose tight end Kyle Pitts, which undoubtedly had to upset Fields. Chicago would trade up later in the draft from No. 20 to No. 11 under former general manager Ryan Pace (now in Atlanta) to take Fields. Now, Fields gets his shot to stick it to the Falcons, and also, Bears fans get an opportunity to stick it to Pace after his underachieving tenure.

Justin Fields was passed up by the Falcons, and now the Bears QB can make them pay

This isn’t Kyle Pitts’ fault. Please don’t get it wrong, but the Falcons have to be kicking themselves after seeing what Fields is doing, despite being on a losing team. The Bears are 3-7, but in recent games, the offense has been electric to watch; specifically, the highlight plays that Fields has created on his own.

Moreover, even if Chicago was to lose this game, if Fields puts up anything like what we have seen him do over this most recent stretch, there’s going to be a lot of face-palming in the front offices of the ATL after this blunder.

There’s no question this game is personal to the Chicago Bears and Justin Fields. Each has a score to settle, and each is desperate for a win. It will take both sides of the football coming together with rage, walking into the ATL, and delivering a thundering message. Knowing Fields, he’s all set for that. It’s just a matter of the rest of the troops follow him into battle with the same mindset.