NFL rumors: 5 'quarterback away' teams that should trade for Justin Fields

1. Atlanta Falcons are Justin Fields' hometown team, best landing spot

Even though for Atlanta Falcons reasons it still may not happen, if Fields were to be traded anywhere this offseason, it would be to his hometown Dirty Birds. Atlanta had a chance to draft Fields No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Falcons opted to go with tight end Kyle Pitts out of Florida. Pitts was a unicorn coming out of the SEC, so you can understand their logic of passing on Fields in 2021.

However, 2021 was Matt Ryan's last season in Atlanta. Last year saw Marcus Mariota win a few games under center before quitting on the team once it became clear that rookie Desmond Ridder was ready to start. Ridder has been the Atlanta starter for most of the season, but was briefly benched for Atlanta area native Taylor Heinicke before reclaiming his starting job. Ridder is not exactly crushing it.

The hope for Ridder the rest of the way is that he can become the Falcons' rough equivalent of Dak Prescott, a great college player who did not go in the first-round for obvious reasons. If he turns the corner in the final third of the year, Fields coming to Atlanta could be a moot point. If Ridder fails and the Falcons fade down the stretch, it would be hard not to see Fields suiting up for Atlanta in 2024.

Atlanta could draft another quarterback, but the Falcons may not be selecting inside of the top 10.