NFC Notes: Justin Fields, Gary Kubiak, Dan Morgan, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

• Adam Jahns of The Athletic names the Falcons, Broncos, Raiders, Patriots, and Steelers as teams to keep an eye on as potential trade options for Bears QB Justin Fields. 
• Jahns thinks Fields’ arm strength will be appealing to OC Zac Robinson.
• In the end, Jahns believes Atlanta doesn’t have a clear path to a quarterback at No. 8 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, while the organization will not be a top destination for free agency options.

Panthers

New Panthers GM Dan Morgan spent seven years in Carolina as a linebacker and knew football was where he was meant to be after exploring other business ventures.

“As a former player, you try to figure out what is the next step, who am I, because you reach your goal at such a young age,” Morgan said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “Then you’re left retired, and you’re like 30-some years old, and you’re like, ‘Well, what am I going to do with the rest of my life?’ It’s not like you can go in the corporate world or just go somewhere and get a job. For me, it was about getting back into what I knew best, which was football.”

Morgan’s former coach at Miami Butch Davis recalled a game where Morgan was getting sick on live television but pushed through like nothing was happening.

“He had the clear (plexi)glass thing on the front of his (helmet). And he was puking and throwing (up) right into it,” Davis said. “But he never blinked. He was so focused on what the other team was doing.”

Saints

Former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak will serve as an advisor to the Panthers, but not in Carolina. Instead, he will be working with a team called the Panthers Wroclaw with a similar logo that plays in the European League of Football based in Wroclaw, Poland.

His son Klint Kubiak has been hired as the new offensive coordinator for the Saints after working with the 49ers as passing game coordinator in 2023 and his father looks forward to tracking his progress.

“Klint is going to put his spin on it,” Gary Kubiak said, via Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. “It’s going to be his offense. I told him, let’s take it and make it the New Orleans offense. Klint has been around some really good offensive minds and excellent play-callers. He’ll stay grounded in the base principles of the offense, but like so many of these guys — Kyle (Shanahan), Sean (McVay), Matt LaFleur — the offense will reflect his personality and how he wants to tie it all together in New Orleans. He grew up around ball. He was always interested in what I did and was asking questions and watching the game.”

“I’m excited for him,” the elder Kubiak continued. “Those opportunities are hard to come by, and they’re hard to keep. But I know D.A. and the kind of person he is. And I know the kind of people he’s putting around him. It’s an amazing staff. They’ll get up and running real fast. They know what they want to do. I sure hope Mickey (Loomis) and Dennis (Allen) will let me come around. It’s fun for me. I’m going to be a big Saints fan.”