There’s no need to beat around the bush. Kirk Cousins signing with the Atlanta Falcons will officially change the calculus of the NFC South and should make Atlanta one of the NFC’s premier superpowers. But the addition will also have an interesting ripple effect on another NFL franchise and player.
I’m talking, of course, about the Chicago Bears and Justin Fields.
Fields had long been rumored as one of the Falcons’ top trade targets. But then Cousins — a superior player — became available, and Atlanta could not reasonably pass up on the opportunity. Throw in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ addition of Russell Wilson, and it’s starting to get really hard to imagine what Fields’ next NFL home will be.
I’ve got some ideas and I would urge the Bears to lower their trade price accordingly if they want to offload the former first-round pick soon.
1
Las Vegas Raiders
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Unless the Raiders really want to stick with Aidan O’Connell as their quarterback of the future, it would behoove the franchise to find someone with a little more upside. Fields, as inconsistent as he could be, fits that bill. There is also the added familiarity of working with former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who understands (sometimes) how to build a functional offense around Fields’ abilities.
Plus, imagine Davante Adams on the other end of some of Fields’ best downfield dimes. There’s a lot of good potential for fun here.
2
New York Giants
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
The Bears were once this close to pairing now New York head coach Brian Daboll with Fields. As Daniel Jones flounders on a Giants team that is still trying to compete in the present, Fields makes a lot of sense with a coach who is accustomed to maximizing his dual-threat passers. It’d be a massive stretch to say that Daboll — who once developed Josh Allen into a superstar — will have similar success with Fields, but the template is there, and the price would be worth it for New York.
3
Denver Broncos
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Armed with just the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, the Broncos are in somewhat dire straits when it comes to their near future. They can’t readily fill in for the since-departed Russell Wilson because they simply have no abundance of resources. Sending a late-round draft pick for Fields and letting Sean Payton coach him up for a year or two feels like a no-brainer for a franchise just trying to stay above water at this point.
4
New England Patriots
FILE -New England Patriots inside linebacker coach Jerod Mayo watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Foxborough, Mass. Whether Bill Belichick’s future as the New England Patriots head coach will extend beyond this season remains an open question. But Jerod Mayo, one of the candidates to possibly succeed the legendary coach reiterated on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 that he believes he’s ready for an opportunity to lead an NFL team. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File) ORG XMIT: NYMV101
The Patriots are in a much better position than the other teams on this list because they have a top-three pick in this year’s draft. That said, adding Fields to the mix and having him start for a season would make a lot of sense while their presumable rookie quarterback sits for a year and develops. It all depends on Jerod Mayo’s approach, but patience has never hurt anyone, and he appears to have Robert Kraft’s blessing for an earnest rebuild.
5
Seattle Seahawks
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Geno Smith remains one of the NFL’s better starting quarterbacks, and it looks like the Seahawks are committed to him. But he’s also already 34, saw a significant decline in his play last season, and, according to Over The Cap, Seattle would incur just a $13.5 million salary cap hit if it cut the quarterback after the 2024 season. Don’t discount the possibility of new head coach Mike Macdonald getting someone like Fields in the pipeline to prepare for that reality.
