An NFL.com analyst has the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons pulling off a trade. It isn’t the one many think it is, however.
The intensity of the Chicago Bears quarterback conundrum is at its all-time high. Without having anything concrete happen, every word spoken or action taken receives extreme scrutiny. For example, two days ago someone noticed that starting quarterback Justin Fields did not follow the team on his Instagram account. That set off a slew of talk that the Bears were close to trading him. They argued that he was all but gone.
Here is the thing, however. There is no evidence that Fields ever followed the Chicago Bears. Additionally, he still has his pictures on the account and his profile lists him as “Chicago Bears quarterback.” Moreover, he does follow the Bears on Twitter. Not following his team is not a rare thing. C.J. Stroud is the Houston Texans starting quarterback but does not follow the team on his Instagram.
While most of the media are convinced that Fields is a goner, there are still others who feel the Chicago Bears just might keep Fields. NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri recently had an article proposing four different trade options for the Bears. While many feel the most likely trade to happen will be one that involves Fields, he goes a different route.
Shocking trade proposal
So general manager Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears make a trade and acquire more picks. Most draft experts expect him to trade Fields to the Atlanta Falcons, possibly for a second and fourth-round pick. That is the price most people expect. However, Bhanpuri goes the other way. He proposes a trade between the Falcons and the Bears. However, he feels the Falcons’ sights are higher than just Fields..
Chicago Bears receive:
- 2024 first-round pick (#8 overall)
- 2024 third-round pick (#74 overall)
- 2025 first-round pick
- 2026 second-round pick
- Running back Bijan Robinson
Atlanta Falcons receive
- 2024 first-round pick (#1 overall)
- Running back Khalil Herbert
As you see, the Falcons make a big splash, but they go after the top pick in the draft. The Bears receive a haul and they strengthen their running game.
Khalil Herbert is a very good running back. He averages 4.9 yards per carry in his career. He has eight touchdowns in his three seasons. While he’s had nagging injuries hindering him at times, he seems poised to have a breakout season. Bijan Robinson, however, is a special running back. He had an incredible career at Texas. He was one of the best running back prospects in years. He compares favorably to Saquon Barkley.
Robinson had a good rookie season. He rushed for 976 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was a big asset in the passing game as well. He had 487 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Many felt that even with Robinson’s good season, he could have been even better. They feel that former head coach Arthur Smith did not use him properly. There were many games in which Robinson was not the primary option in key situations. That could be one of the reasons Smith is no longer the head coach.
The Falcons would lose one of their best offensive players but they get a chance to get the franchise quarterback. They also have a good stable of receivers, led by Drake London. Additionally, they have a good tight-end group with Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith. Another important aspect is that with Herbert and Tyler Allgeier the Falcons would also have a strong running game.
Imagine the possibilities for the Chicago Bears’ new offense with Robinson and Fields. Opposing defenses would have to pick their poison — cover Robinson and have Fields kill them or vice versa. Also, backup running back Roschon Johnson backed up Robinson in college. They are familiar with each other and worked well together before.
The Chicago Bears would still be able to pick up one of the top wide receiver prospects despite likely missing out on Marvin Harrision Jr, a prospect many Bears fans would love to have. This is a deep wide receiver class so there are others, like Rome Odunze, who could still be great picks. Additionally, Poles would have back-to-back picks. He could trade one of those picks knowing that no other team could take who he may want. That would add even more picks to help improve the roster.
This deal would be a huge splash for both teams. While it isn’t out of the realm of possibility, the odds of this coming to fruition are low. However, Poles is an imaginative executive and we already saw how he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a special deal.
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