Debunking and debriefing on the buzzing Justin Fields-Falcons trade rumors

NFL Draft season, particularly when we get around the NFL Combine, is known for many things. We get to see prospects really show off their skills, something that Xavier Worthy had no problem doing on Saturday. We also get to hear some great intel from insiders. How valid that intel is, however, is another matter entirely.

They don't also call it "lying season" for no reason either.

And that brings us to a trade rumor causing quite a stir among NFL fans on Saturday. Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda, a longtime presence on the outskirts of draft insiders, reported essentially that a Justin Fields trade that would send the Chicago Bears quarterback to the Atlanta Falcons was at the finish line and could be done by the end of the weekend.

Said report was met with plenty of skepticism but, on the other hand, the Falcons have been an oft-connected landing spot for Fields in a potential trade, so it would make some sense if the trade was about to go down.

But we're here to debunk that rumor instead.

NFL Rumors: Justin Fields trade to Falcons far, far from inevitable

In stark contrast to Pauline's reporting on the situation is the reporting of two highly respected NFL insiders, ESPN's Adam Schefter and The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Schefter reports (h/t On3) that, thought the Falcons have been commonly mentioned as a landing spot, it would be surprising if Atlanta actually traded for Fields with the way the winds are currently blowing.

"There’s been a lot of speculation on Atlanta," Schefter said. "I think Atlanta will be something of a surprise right now to trade for Justin Fields."

Hitting a similar note to Schefter, Russini reported on The Athletic ($) that the Fields trade market is "soft for now" and that there doesn't appear to be anything remotely imminent with the Bears quarterback with how things stand currently.

So how could the market be "soft" and the Falcons be a surprising trade option for Fields when the deal is basically done right now? Simple, that's not true. With all due respect to Pauline and his reporting, this just seems completely off-base with everything else that's being said throughout the NFL with the rumors swirling around the Combine.

Frankly, it's telling that we haven't seen much else coming out of Indianapolis regarding a Fields trade -- this is when we expected the market to really heat up, giving even more credence to Schefter and Russini's reported assessment of the situation.

Maybe Justin Fields indeed gets traded to the Atlanta Falcons. It's still a fit that makes sense on the whole. However, it's almost surely not going to happen on Sunday, if it happens at all.