NFL Rumors: Steelers QB target, Vikings back up plan, top Justin Fields suitor
By John Buhler
It is awfully hard to win in this league if you don't have the right quarterback under center. While there are plenty of excellent NFL teams that get by with good-to-mediocre quarterback play, the thought of upgrading in that department is an ongoing concerns for teams who don't have a franchise guy they can trust. At any given point, roughly a quarter, to even a third, of the league's teams do not have this player.
Fortunately for these teams that don't have the answer they want under center, this is shaping up to be one of the best quarterback drafts in recent memory. It is also going to be one of the most interesting quarterback markets hitting free agency in quite some time. There are also a few players at the position group who could be available for trade. Hopefully, everyone has an answer here soon.
So what we are going to do today in the hours leading up to Super Bowl Sunday is address some of the juiciest and newest NFL rumors this great league that we all love so much has bequeathed to us in mid-February about the quarterback position. We will have even more at your disposal once the draft order is set and people are on their way to the combine to see dudes run in their underwear.
Here are three teams looking to get better at quarterback through either a trade or in free agency, according to the latest rumors from the trio of insiders at NFL Network: Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo.
NFL rumors: Justin Fields' top suitor is as obvious as it is a fantastic fit
With the Chicago Bears in possession of the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, the growing expectation is that they will use the top selection on former USC star Caleb Williams. This is the most logical maneuver that Chicago can make, but they must first find a trade partner for their starting quarterback Justin Fields. All signs are pointing to his hometown Atlanta Falcons to land him.
Fields grew up just outside of Atlanta in Kennesaw, Georgia before briefly playing for Kirby Smart up in Athens. After transferring to Ohio State from Georgia ahead of the 2019 college football season, Fields ascended to stardom in Columbus, becoming a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and guiding the Buckeyes to a College Football Playoff National Championship Game appearance during COVID.
Atlanta passed in Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft in favor of selecting former Florida star tight end Kyle Pitts. The Falcons still had Matt Ryan at the time, but it would be something else if Fields was the guy coming aboard in Atlanta at the perfect time to set this thing off with a bang. More importantly, the guy who drafted him is Ryan Pace. The former Bears general manager is in the Atlanta front office.
Atlanta may be too far back to draft their guy, but are in a great position to trade for Fields instead.