NFL executive predicts Falcons next head coach and quarterback

The Falcons are smack dab in the middle of a search for a new head coach, and there lies an equally impactful decision in consequence.

Atlanta not only needs to replace Arthur Smith, but the club also needs to upgrade the quarterback position. For all of his faults, Smith shouldn’t shoulder most of the blame. There are only a couple of offensive minds that could’ve been successful with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke; they held the Falcons back.

There’s an interesting crop of quarterbacks in the draft, but the free agent market is quite bleak. I’m expecting Justin Fields to be traded; however, the direction the club takes at signal caller depends on the head coach hired.

Fields or a draft prospect would make more sense for a younger candidate, while the veteran route makes more sense for someone like Bill Belichick, who is surely entering the twilight years of his career and is still considered the favorite to fill the vacancy.

If it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, it is a duck. The writing is on the wall. An AFC executive believes it’ll be Bill Belichick and the best veteran option that will be on the market, Kirk Cousins, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. 

Kirk Cousins and Bill Belichick will be Falcons … and win the NFC South

The feeling out of New England was that Belichick planned to target an established veteran quarterback for the Patriots in 2024. If he gets the Atlanta job, as some expect, he can follow a similar blueprint.

Cousins very well might re-sign with Minnesota, but if not, the Falcons offer several high-end skill players on offense and an improving defense — they’re the proverbial quarterback away. “[Belichick] can help a talented yet underachieving team, and Atlanta is that,” an AFC executive said. “Cousins would be a great fit there.”

“… and win the NFC South” would give the Falcons their first postseason game since the 2017 season and the first home playoff game in Mercedes Benz Stadium’s history.

It’s certainly plausible too. With a few free agent additions and another top 10 draft pick, the roster will be in a position to win the division. Bill Belichick will likely be the best head coach in the NFC South, and if Cousins spites the Vikings in favor of playing for a first-ballot Hall of Famer, as he mentioned, the club would also have the best quarterback in the division.

It’s not a long-term fix for the Falcons at either position, but Arthur Blank is clearly not operating under the guise of a 10-year plan.

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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire