Even though we are in that lull of the NFL offseason, the Falcons are still expected to make some pretty significant moves.
The Kirk Cousins saga has yet to come to a conclusion, and the NFL Draft is less than a month away. A trade (or two) could be in Atlanta’s future, and Bill Barnwell of ESPN recently gave the Falcons four blockbuster trades to choose from in his latest mock draft.
Titans get: 1-2, 3-67, 2026 second-round pick (from Browns), QB Kirk Cousins (from Falcons, with cash considerations)
Falcons get: 2026 seventh-round pick (from Titans)
Browns get: 1-1, 2026 sixth-round pick (from Titans)
The point of this move for the Falcons is clear as day: get Kirk Cousins out of Atlanta. The veteran is due $37.5 million, which is made out of his $27.5 million base salary next season and his $10 million roster bonus in 2026. Barnwell has the Falcons eat $25 million to get this deal done, saving the remaining $12.5 million. They’ll get a seventh-round pick to bode, but this is all about getting Cousins off the team.
Jets get: 1-15, 2026 third-round pick, TE Kyle Pitts
Falcons get: 1-7
This trade would give Kyle Pitts a fresh start, and the Falcons would jump up the draft board, ahead of the Panthers and Saints, who own the 8th and 9th picks, respectively. It would give the Falcons a better opportunity to land a Day 1 impact player. Guys like Mason Graham, Jalon Walker, and maybe even Mike Green would all of a sudden become a viable option.
Cowboys get: 1-2 (from Browns), 1-15, 2026 third-round pick (from Falcons)
Browns get: 1-12, 5-149, 2026 fourth-round pick (from Cowboys), 2026 first-round pick (from Falcons)
Falcons get: Edge Micah Parsons
The Falcons give up two first-round picks, one in 2025 and one in 2026, along with a third-round pick for Micah Parsons? Yeah, sign me up. The Cowboys are paying top dollar for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, and now Parsons is due, with the price tag expected to eclipse $40 million per season. Figuring out how to pay three players more than $135 million per season is difficult, but Parsons probably isn’t the one they would choose to trade if they decided to break up the gang.
Nevertheless, the Falcons should and would make this deal for Parsons, who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. There’s nobody in football who is more desperate for a dominant edge rusher than the Falcons. The pass rush has been dreadful for years, and while the team doesn’t have a lot of cap space at this point, they will in future years with Kirk Cousins off the roster. They could absolutely structure his deal in a way that is backloaded and works with the league salary cap.
Falcons get: 1-22, 3-86, 4-125
Chargers get: 1-15
Yes, the Falcons had four trade proposals in Barnwell’s mock draft, with the last one being the simplest as they pick up third and fourth-round picks. With only five selections in this year’s draft, Terry Fontenot might feel like he needs more capital, and this would do it without falling too far down the draft board.
