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Where will Justin Fields play in 2024? Falcons, Steelers, Bears lead latest odds
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- Where will Justin Fields play in 2024? Falcons, Steelers, Bears lead latest odds
The Chicago Bears hold the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft . This class of players includes one of the top quarterback prospects in years - USC's Caleb Williams - and the Bears are widely expected to draft him .
That leaves questions for Justin Fields , the Bears' incumbent starter. Fields was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has at least one more season left on his rookie contract. Will he stay in Chicago for the 2024 season? Or will he be suiting up for a different team this fall?
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DraftKings had odds for Fields' team in 2024 but were dropped from the site ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine . Here's the top eight teams in odds, per DraftKings:
1. Atlanta Falcons (+110)
There's a theme among the favorites: questions at quarterback ahead of 2024. New Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris said at the combine that if the Falcons had better quarterback play, he may not be their head coach .
Atlanta has plenty of cap space heading in to 2024 with $37.4 million, per Over the Cap data, with few major free agents to resign. The Falcons' skill position players are an upgrade over Chicago with wide receiver Drake London , running back Bijan Robinson , and tight end Kyle Pitts .
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Atlanta is heavily rumored to be interested in free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins . If they miss out on the former Viking, Fields could be a consolation prize. They have seven draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including multiple third-round selections that could be part of a trade package.
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2. Pittsburgh Steelers (+225)
The Steelers made the playoffs last season despite fielding a bottom-five scoring offense. Kenny Pickett , Mitchell Trubisky , and Mason Rudolph all started at least two games in 2023 and combined for a 84.6 quarterback rating that ranked 21st in the NFL.
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Fields is more of a dual-threat quarterback than any of those three. Pittsburgh's been rumored to have interest in Russell Wilson following the Broncos announcing his release . The Steelers have a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and a change at quarterback could coincide with his arrival. Pittsburgh has seven draft picks this year as well and could send one to Chicago in return for Fields.
When asked about a potential trade for Fields at the Scouting Combine, Steelers general manager Omar Khan didn't confirm or deny their interest.
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3. Chicago Bears (+275)
It's entirely possible the Bears keep Fields on as a reliable backup and spot starter if Williams or another rookie quarterback has an injury or issue early on. Chicago hired Shane Waldron to be the team's new offensive coordinator in 2024 but Fields is familiar with the team. The Bears have the sixth-most cap space this season so keeping his contract on the books is no issue.
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4. Minnesota Vikings (+550)
The Vikings have not franchise tagged incumbent starting quarterback Kirk Cousins at time of publishing. Minnesota's drafting at No. 11 overall but only have one other pick in the top 100 selections. A trade up for a rookie quarterback could be tough.
The Vikings have $37.1 million in cap space this season, per Over the Cap, but have Cousins and four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter both hitting free agency. It may be tough to fit both under the salary cap. Between the two, Hunter could be less expensive, but Minnesota could lack the draft picks to trade up for one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fields could be an alternative they're familiar with; Minnesota watched him lead a game-winning drive in Minneapolis in a late-November Monday Night Football game.
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5. Las Vegas Raiders (+650)
Las Vegas is another quarterback-needy team with plenty of cap space and good players at key positions on offense. Quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell , Jimmy Garoppolo , and Brian Hoyer all started at least one game for Las Vegas in 2023 and the Raiders finished the season with the fifth-worst quarterback rating as a team league-wide.
The Raiders have nine draft picks this April and could package one or more of them to get Fields. There's familiarity on staff, too, as the Raiders just hired former Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to the same position in Las Vegas. The Raiders had the fourth-oldest team in the league in 2023 and a 25-year-old dual-threat quarterback in Fields could improve their outlook for the future.
6. Denver Broncos (+1400)
The Broncos pick 12th overall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and, like Minnesota, that may be too low to get one of the top signal-callers in this class. Like the Vikings, Denver doesn't have many high picks this year to package in a trade up to the top five selections.
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If they opt not to trade future draft capital in a move up for a rookie quarterback, Fields could be a solid consolation prize. The Broncos salary cap situation is rough given the dead cap hits from Wilson's contract, but Fields' cap hit isn't too bad at $6 million in 2024, per Over the Cap.
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7. New York Giants (+1400)
New York's facing questions at quarterback after fielding the third-worst scoring offense in the league in 2023. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones signed a four-year, $160 million extension last offseason and proceeded to go 1-5 as a starter. His 70.5 quarterback rating would've been the worst in the league had he started more games.
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The Giants are picking fifth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft and could easily move up for one of the top quarterbacks in this year's class thanks to owning four top-100 selections and No. 107 in the fourth round as well. If the price is too high, a move for Fields with one of those picks instead would be doable, especially as the Giants have $38.2 million in cap space for 2024.
8. New England Patriots (+1600)
The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and could select whichever quarterback is available there between Jayden Daniels , Drake Maye , or Williams. Daniels denied rumors of him not wanting to go to New England in the draft Wednesday.
But New England 's been reportedly interested in trading down from No. 3 to stockpile more picks. In that process, the Patriots may remove themselves from contention from Daniels or Maye and instead choose from a top prospect at another position and make Fields a viable option. With $88.7 million in cap space, it'd be easy to fit his contract in if the Patriots aren't pursuing Wilson or Cousins in free agency.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Fields landing spots: Falcons, Steelers, Bears lead odds
