One thing we know about the Falcons offseason — there will be a quarterback acquisition.
There are questions of who the club will target and how they intend to acquire said signal caller, but there should be no speculation of the club rolling with the internal candidates of Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke.
Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot understand the expectation is to compete in 2024. Unlike his predecessor, there will be no grace period for Morris. Arthur Smith inherited a laughable roster, and though the Falcons have several positions that need addressing, the roster is in a much better place today than in 2021 when Smith took over.
With that, the quarterback decision becomes even more important. Rolling with a third-round pick ultimately cost Arthur Smith his job. I don’t expect Raheem Morris to suffer the same fate after just one season, but he certainly won’t get three years to prove himself.
The Falcons have to be done with half-measures at the position, and it’s really simple what they should do if you ask NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
“I still think Atlanta makes the most sense,” Schultz said about Justin Fields. “I think most people around the league believe that the Falcons would be interested and that could be an ideal landing spot. Obviously, Fields is from Gainesville, Georgia, so you have that element.
But, just in general, the Falcons believe they’re ready to win now,” he added. “Obviously. [they] still have a young quarterback in Desmond Ridder, who I certainly haven’t written off. But, I think when you consider the type of talent they have there skill position wise there with Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson. The fact that Justin Fields could be available would be very appetizing to them, and I believe that would probably make the most sense. I think most folks around the NFL believe that.”
The fit makes sense in a lot of ways.
The Bears are expected to spend the top pick in the draft on a signal caller, whether that be Drake Maye, Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels, making Fields expendable.
The Falcons have an obvious need for a quarterback. Moreover, Fields is the only quarterback that can offer a long-term solution in Atlanta outside of the NFL draft.
Fields is also from the Atlanta area, playing at Harrison High School before committing to the University of Georgia.
However, there are also factors working against a potential Justin Fields trade to the Falcons. The asking price is important and the subsequent decision on his fifth-year option has to be considered.
His lack of development is also concerning. Granted, the Bears did him no favor in his first three seasons, giving him a new offensive coordinator every year and virtually no supporting cast outside of the 2023 campaign.
Also, what kind of offense do the Falcons want to run? Can Zac Robinson tailor his offense to Fields’ skill set? These are all questions Terry Fontenot, Raheem Morris, and the Falcons will mull over.
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Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire
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