One of the biggest mysteries of the upcoming NFL offseason is the future of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields is under contract through next season and has a fifth-year option for 2025, but the Bears currently hold the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and with it, the right to draft top quarterback prospect Caleb Williams out of USC. Should the Bears choose to take that route, it would mean Fields is on the move.
The Atlanta Falcons have emerged as one of the favorites to land the Kennesaw, Ga., native in a potential offseason trade if the Bears decide to move on from Fields, and he doesn’t sound opposed to the idea.
“Atlanta would be tough,” Fields said Wednesday on The 33rd Team podcast, expressing intrigue in regard to his hometown team. “The only con of going back home is just people hitting up my phone like crazy, wanting tickets to the game. But I think they’ve got a lot of playmakers on the team.”
The Falcons, who hired Raheem Morris as their new head coach in January, haven’t made the playoff since 2017. They boast plenty of offensive talent in running back Bijan Robinson, receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, but quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke didn’t do enough in 2023 as the team finished 7–10 for a third straight season.
“They probably need one more receiver, but they definitely got some guys over there,” Fields said. “Their defense was good last year too.”
Fields, however, does have a preference for how this offseason goes. Despite unfollowing the Bears’ official Instagram account earlier this week, Fields would like to continue his career in the Windy City.
“Yeah, of course I want to stay,” Fields said. “... I can’t see myself playing in another place. But I know how the league is. ... If it was up to me, I would stay in Chicago. I love the city, the fans there are great and the people. It’s a business; I ain’t got any control over it. Whatever happens, happens.”
Fields, like all Bears fans and the rest of the NFL world, eagerly awaits a decision on his future.
“I feel like the biggest thing with all this going on right now—I just want it to be over,” he said. “Just let me know if I’m getting traded. Let me know if I’m staying.”
