The Falcons came into this offseason at a crossroads.
Many described the roster as talented yet underachieving and the proverbial ‘quarterback away’ from competing. When they hired Raheem Morris, it still wasn’t clear what direction the Falcons would go.
Atlanta needed to fix the quarterback position, but there wasn’t an obvious path. Would they invest in a younger prospect to try to fix the problem for the next decade? Would they target a veteran to maximize the young roster and win right now?
Well, Terry Fontenot at least inquired about potentially moving up the draft board but quickly turned his focus elsewhere once it became clear that the Bears, Patriots, and Commanders weren’t going to be moving off their respective selections.
The Falcons’ top target? Kirk Cousins. With the backing of Arthur Blank, Fontenot aggressively negotiated with Cousins’ agent, outbidding the Vikings in every facet of the contract — guarantees, years, and average annual value.
Atlanta made it known how badly they wanted Cousins, going outside of Minnesota’s comfort zone. The free agent deal signaled to the team, the fan base, and the rest of the league that the Falcons were going to try to win. The window was officially open.
Bleacher Report recently did a piece to find one word to describe every team’s offseason, and it’s not difficult to guess Atlanta’s…
Atlanta Falcons: All-in — That’s one word, right? Feel free to substitute with committed or determined. Regardless, the Falcons think they have the offensive weapons to contend and they’ve rightly given that arsenal the best possible veteran quarterback option available in Kirk Cousins. Kudos.
Everyone now knows the Falcons are in win-now mode. With a little more talent on the defensive side of the ball, this club is in a position to win the division and potentially make some noise in the postseason. Raheem Morris’ expectations grew when the Falcons acquired Kirk Cousins. Winning the NFC South is no longer enough.
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Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire
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