The Atlanta Falcons entered the offseason knowing they had to improve their roster, particularly after going just 8-9 this past year. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to do all that much.
In the Falcons’ defense, they didn’t exactly have much cap room heading into free agency, so there was only so much they could do. In fact, their marquee signing was edge rusher Leonard Floyd, and Atlanta is drawing some considerable criticism for it.
To be clear, the Falcons aren’t being lambasted for adding Floyd. He’s a good player, and a very underrated one, as a matter of fact. What they are being criticized for, however, is the fact that Leonard has been their only truly significant acquisition of the offseason, and for a team that has missed the playoffs each of the last seven years, that won’t cut it.
“Let’s be clear off the top, this criticism and concern have nothing to do with Floyd but how Atlanta has managed the signing,” wrote Nick Halden of Blogging Dirty. “Handling the introductory presser as if the pass rusher were a star free agent and not a solid veteran addition. Atlanta giving Floyd so much attention shines a spotlight on the team’s lack of offseason moves and increasing defensive concerns.”
Of course, a big reason why Atlanta has been unable to maneuver all that much in free agency is because of the massive four-year, $180 million contract it handed quarterback Kirk Cousins last March. The deal featured $100 million in guaranteed money, and Cousins ended up being benched during the second half of his debut campaign.
Now, the Falcons are essentially stuck with that contract unless they can find a taker, and in order to do that, they would probably have to throw in some draft capital in any potential Cousins trade. That obviously isn’t ideal, especially for a team that has considerable holes up and down the roster to begin with.
Atlanta might actually be a decent team in 2025 so long as Michael Penix Jr. can deliver under center, and the Falcons also play in the NFC South, arguably the worst division in football. But they are very far from legitimately contending for a Super Bowl, making their rather stark free-agent period that much more frustrating for the fan base.
