The NFL’s official start of free agency took a backseat to trade speculation in Atlanta as the Falcons became an unlikely favorite, along with the Saints, to land controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson. At the eleventh hour, the Browns, who were previously declared out of the running, swooped in and stole Watson from the two NFC South rivals.
The very idea of acquiring Watson caused a major divide among Falcons fans, and once the team failed to close the deal, even more confidence was lost in the front office.
While you can commend the the team for trying to make a bold, franchise-changing move, Atlanta had the most to lose of anyone involved in trade talks. Both the Saints and Panthers desperately needed a quarterback, and the relationship between Baker Mayfield and the Browns had already soured.
However, the Falcons still had a strong relationship with 14-year starter Matt Ryan, who has time and time again put the team first. Going after a top quarterback is fine, but Atlanta had to know that by doing so, the team was risking alienating the person who’s been the face of the franchise since 2008.
Reported on @CBSSportsHQ this a.m. that while Matt Ryan was willing to work with the Falcons — the only franchise he's ever played for — and while they did keep him in the loop on things, he wasn't exactly a happy camper about all this. Obviously.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 18, 2022
The Falcons front office saw an opportunity to improve at the quarterback position and fumbled mightily. If you’re Matt Ryan right now, after giving 14 years to an organization that sloppily tried to part ways with you, is it time to demand a trade to an organization that’s destined to win now?
The #Falcons need to do the right thing and trade Matt Ryan
They made it clear to him they were ready to move on and they give him the chance to go where he is WANTED.
— WelpDW (@PlainDw) March 18, 2022
Where do the Falcons go from here? Most likely, it means they’ll go back to scrambling for cap space.
The Saints have done wonders to alleviate their cap issues, and the Panthers are sitting pretty with $33 million to spend. Meanwhile, Atlanta still has cap and roster issues at nearly every position outside of left tackle and right guard.
Keep an eye on what the team does in the draft, because if taking a quarterback was on the table before, it’s almost a certainty at this point.
