Falcons declined Bears' trade offer to move down in the 2024 NFL Draft

Before the 2024 NFL Draft, a few names were floating around for who the Atlanta Falcons could be selecting with the No. 8 pick. There were murmurs they could trade down, but nothing was cemented.

Almost every pick before their selection at No. 8 went relatively as expected. Then, the Falcons came in and left the entire NFL shocked with their decision to draft a quarterback.

What was even more surprising was to hear they passed up on gaining what would essentially be a free draft pick to take Michael Penix Jr. when they did.

The Falcons passed up on Chicago's offer of a pick swap and a fourth-round pick to stay put in 2024 NFL Draft

In the recently released NFL Draft: The Pick Is In docuseries on Roku, it was revealed that the Chicago Bears were offering their No. 9 pick and a fourth-round pick to acquire Atlanta's No. 8 pick.

And with the Falcons seemingly gung-ho on drafting Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr., there was no reason for them to think Chicago was going to undercut them for Penix. The Bears drafted their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams, and there would be no reason for them to double dip on the position.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it's shocking to know that the Falcons were so interested in selecting Penix when they did that they bypassed gaining an extra draft pick just to move down one spot.

Now, there's a theory floating around social media in defense of Atlanta. It implies the Falcons believed Chicago would have traded the pick to another team that tried acquiring it earlier and also needed a quarterback. Whether that's true or not will remain a mystery, but with a decision that already confused the minds of many, the Falcons made it even more confusing for some with their handling of the eighth pick.