Falcons Ex Arthur Smith Pushing Steelers Out of Justin Fields Trade Sweepstakes?

Justin Fields trade rumors have swarmed the NFL, especially with the Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jeremy Brener | Feb 22, 2024

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The Atlanta Falcons are among a few teams who could look to trade for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields in the coming months, and they will have some competition for his services.

Another team in the veteran quarterback market is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who recently hired former Falcons coach Arthur Smith to be their offensive coordinator.

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) passes in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field / Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

NFL Network analyst Steve Wyche believes Smith's hire in Pittsburgh hurts the Steelers' chances of trading for him.

“This conversation about the Steelers continues to intrigue me, because Arthur Smith, when he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, he wanted no parts of Justin Fields," Wyche said on "The NFL Report". "He had the possibility to draft him. They took Kyle Pitts. … Why now, all of sudden, would the head coach who designed the offense taking a liking to Justin Fields?"

The Falcons had the opportunity to select Fields with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the quarterback-needy team opted for tight end Kyle Pitts.

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With Smith out of Atlanta, it makes the Falcons more likely to trade for him ... and less likely for the Steelers to do so. Coach Mike Tomlin likes Fields, but it's hard to imagine the team trading for him after Smith said "no" at the 2021 NFL Draft.

Perhaps there could be a change of heart, but this could knock the Steelers out of the Fields conversations and make the Falcons a likelier destination for the Bears quarterback on the trade block.

Published Feb 22, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.