In the final minutes before the trade deadline, Falcons fans got some devastating news. According to Mike Garafolo, Atlanta’s top trade target, Azeez Ojulari, isn’t going to be moved at the deadline.
Barring a significant pivot by 4p Eastern, the #Giants will retain LB Azeez Ojulari. They’d made it clear they weren’t going to give him away and held firm. Ojulari (6 sacks, two short of his career-high) now heads down the home stretch of his contract toward free agency. pic.twitter.com/lA4xrGQQXS
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 5, 2024
Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith, and Baron Browning were all moved at the trade deadline, and the Falcons were most connected to Ojulari. According to Adam Schefter, the club was thought to be “aggressive about making pass rush calls” and was expected to pursue a trade for Ojulari.
Dianna Russini recently revealed the Giants’ asking price of a late fourth-round pick or early fifth-rounder. From where I sit, a fourth-rounder is a bit rich for Ojulari, but are the Falcons really in a position to say they value that draft pick more than Ojulari? I’m not sure.
Since taking over in Atlanta, Terry Fontenot has shown no ability to draft consistently well outside of the first round. The Falcons only own their first, second, fourth, and seventh-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that’s still not going to calm fans down.
The Falcons have an offense to get excited about, but the defense, particularly the pass rush, is going to cost them games eventually. However, it takes two to tango. Fontenot, for all we know, could’ve offered exactly what the Giants wanted, but you can’t make them take the deal.
New York sits at 2-7, and Azeez Ojulari is on an expiring deal, so I’m not quite sure why the Giants aren’t chomping at the bit to make a trade.
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