NFL insiders expect Falcons to land Cousins, Fields or Mayfield

The legal tampering period of NFL free agency begins on March 11, two days before the official start of the 2024 league year. This gives quarterback-needy teams like the Atlanta Falcons about a week to get their salary cap numbers in order.

The two biggest free-agent quarterbacks on the market are Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield, and both players will likely command a good chunk of salary cap space. The Falcons could also trade for Bears quarterback Justin Fields or look at one of the numerous QB prospects in this year’s draft class.

Nearly every day there’s been a new rumor/report linking the Falcons to a different quarterback. Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN released a new feature that says many around the league believe Atlanta will end up with Fields, Cousins or Mayfield:

There’s plenty of smoke around Atlanta and Fields. Some around the league are wondering about the fit, thinking a Rams-influence offense under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson could target a Cousins-style quarterback, while others say Fields’ immense talent will be maximized in that scheme. As one league source put it, Atlanta has done enough work on Fields, Cousins and Baker Mayfield that the chances of coming away with one of them are fairly good. – ESPN’s Dan Graziano & Jeremy Fowler

It’s tough to get a legitimate read on the situation since so much of it appears to be pure speculation. The Falcons can’t publicly talk about Fields, Mayfield or Cousins due to NFL rules, which only adds to the confusion.

However, the Bears have reason to try and move Fields before free agency begins next week. This should work to Atlanta’s advantage as the asking price could be reduced the longer Fields remains in Chicago.

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