The Atlanta Falcons completed their first offseason task over the weekend, hiring Jeff Ulbrich to be the team’s defensive coordinator. Now, the team looks ahead at a number of critical decisions that must be made to break a seven-year postseason drought.
1. What to do with Kirk Cousins?
The Falcons hinted at the possibility of hanging onto Kirk Cousins as a backup quarterback for next season, which they could very well be serious about, even if it feels unlikely. In a perfect world, the Falcons force Cousins to waive his no-trade clause and trade him with a post-June 1st designation. The Falcons would still have to eat some money, but it’s a best-case scenario.
However, that won’t be easy to do. Kirk Cousins may not want to give the Falcons any breaks after what transpired this year. He also doesn’t have much motivation to waive that no-trade clause. Because if he’s released, he’ll be free to sign with whomever he desires for the veteran minimum, helping his next team out rather than giving the Falcons a break.
This creates a Mexican standoff of sorts. The Falcons can play some hardball as if they are fully willing to keep him around as a backup quarterback, which may force Cousins’ hand if he desires to start elsewhere. It would be refreshing to see Atlanta dig their heels in and win this battle, allowing them to recoup some draft capital and minimize the cap damage.
2. Contract Restructures
The Falcons enter the offseason about $7 million above the projected 2025 salary cap. However, they can get comfortably in the green with some contract restructures. Some are obvious — like Jessie Bates III and Chris Lindstrom — while others are a little more complicated.
Grady Jarrett is entering the final year of his contract and is scheduled to make north of $21 million. The Falcons should make it a priority to work out a short-term extension to get that number down in 2025. The same can be said for David Onyemata, who is set to have a cap hit of $16.925 million next season in the final year of his deal.
3. Make a decision on Kyle Pitts
Kyle Pitts is entering his fifth year with a fully guaranteed salary that will pay him just south of $11 million next season. The Falcons could very easily pay him that in hopes he develops chemistry with Michael Penix Jr. and experiences a career resurgence, or they could look at his production over the last three seasons and decide it’s a sunk cost. There will be a lot of interested parties if the Falcons make Pitts available for trade, which will allow them to recoup some draft capital while clearing close to $11 million in cap space.
4. Overhaul the defense
If the Falcons can find a trade partner for Kirk Cousins, it will give them a lot more resources to fix their most glaring need. The defense has holes at all three levels. The secondary needs at least one more starting-caliber cornerback and a long-term answer at safety. The linebacking core could use another reliable body, and the entire defensive line must improve. This side of the ball should be the sole focus of the offseason. All of the Falcons’ resources — both in the draft and free agency — should used on defensive players.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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