The Falcons will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. The Desmond Ridder experience went up and flames, and it may end up costing Arthur Smith his job.
Regardless of what transpires over the next three weeks with Taylor Heinicke and whoever the head coach is in 2024, Arthur Blank will force Terry Fontenot’s hand in acquiring a new signal caller.
There are a couple of different avenues the Falcons could go, and I think the path they take will depend heavily on who is coaching. If Smith ends up keeping his job, I think it’s unlikely he will put his eggs in another rookie’s basket.
If you were in his position, you wouldn’t want your job tied to a rookie, but rather a trustworthy veteran that could provide immediate improvements from Ridder and Heinicke.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many of those players available. Kirk Cousins is about the only desirable veteran free agent and would easily give Atlanta its best quarterback since Matt Ryan.
In fact, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press believes the Falcons are a very realistic landing spot.
“Best free agent bet for Cousins, if the Vikings don’t re-sign him, seems to be the Atlanta Falcons, who could have $50 million in salary cap space after some anticipated player cuts, including QB Taylor Heinicke, the ex-Viking,” Walters wrote.
The veteran went down with a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8 but was playing some of the best football of his career. He completed 69.5% of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions before the injury.
What makes this entire situation complicated is the timeline of his recovery.
“But Cousins isn’t expected to be fully recovered in March when free agency begins. The draft isn’t until April, and there’s no guarantee the Vikings could get an elite QB. There’s also the risk that Cousins, 36 next year, could reinjure the Achilles. That risk will affect how much money the Vikings would be willing to guarantee in a contract,” Walters continued.
What could also increase the possibility of the Falcons signing him is his price tag. “Kirk Cousins’ free agency market … could reach $40 million next spring,” Walters added.
Atlanta should have more money than Minnesota next offseason, but I think a lot would have to go wrong between the Vikings and Cousins because all signs point to him wanting to stay there.
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Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
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