Everyone knows the Falcons are going to be in the market for a pass rusher at the trade deadline. The question is, who?
Maxx Crosby sparked a craze among Falcons fans after his comments about not sticking around for a rebuild, but the likelihood of the Raiders moving their star pass rusher at the deadline is almost non-existent.
Atlanta’s targets likely aren’t going to be of the “star” variety. The Falcons will have to be creative in their attempts to improve the pass rush, but if an opportunity arises to acquire a superstar, Terry Fontenot cannot come up empty-handed.
The most recent trade rumors surround Myles Garrett now, with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reporting that several general managers have been calling to inquire about Garrett’s availability. Breer did add that he doesn’t believe the Browns will move Garrett, but the club could be tempted by an offer too good to refuse.
So, what does an offer “too good to refuse” look like if you’re the Falcons? Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay has a blockbuster trade package that might just get the conversation off the ground.
Cleveland Browns receive: 2025 first-round pick, 2025 fourth-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, QB Michael Penix Jr.
Atlanta Falcons receive: Edge Myles Garrett
Let’s get this out of the away first: the Falcons aren’t going to trade Michael Penix Jr. There’s zero percent chance the organization that invited ridicule upon themselves by drafting Penix six weeks after giving Kirk Cousins $180 million would trade him six months later.
Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris are putting their careers on the line with the belief that Penix will be the next franchise quarterback of the Falcons. Right or wrong, they believe it. If they’re right, not even Myles Garrett could convince the Falcons to do a player-for-player swap for Penix.
Again, you or I might not agree with the sentiment that Penix is the next great Falcons quarterback, but the organization’s brass believes it. He’s untouchable.
That’s not to say the Falcons couldn’t swap a first-round pick in place of Penix in these hypothetical trade talks. Giving the Falcons the benefit of the doubt and saying Penix is the future at the quarterback position, they’re in a perfect position to mortgage several first-round picks for an elite talent like Myles Garrett.
They’ve proven they’re unable to draft pass rushers, and even if that changes over the next couple of drafts, there’s a very low probability that player will be Myles Garrett. The Falcons should empty the war chest for a player of his caliber.
Back to the compensation, it will take three first-round picks to even get the Browns to answer the phone. And the ensuing bidding war will surely drive the price well beyond that. It still doesn’t matter. The Falcons would be fools not to throw their hat in the ring.
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Photographer: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
Michael Penix Jr. made his Falcons regular season debut on Sunday against the Seahawks with the game well out of reach.
Atlanta ended up losing 34-14, and Penix relieved Kirk Cousins with 3:29 left to play. In seven snaps, the 8th overall pick handed the ball off six times but did complete his only pass attempt, a 14-yard pass to Casey Washington.
Cousins struggled against Seattle, sparking some Falcons fans to call for Penix. Two thoughts: nearly every facet of the team failed against the Seahawks, and every time Cousins stumbles, fans will call for Penix. It’s mostly just noise. However, as Jessie Bates III noted after the loss, anything can happen in this league.
“I know at some point — knock on wood — it’s just one play,” Bates said of the possibility of an injury. “You never know what can happen in this game. And I’m just making sure that he’s continued to prepare himself like he’s a starter and preparing and learning and seeing the bigger picture. Because right now, it’s hard. I’m sure it’s hard for him to see what the bigger picture is.”
Other than an injury, there is a concrete marker for when the Falcons will make a quarterback change. Raheem Morris told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, “When do you transition to a new quarterback? When he can’t win.”
This comment came from Fowler’s ‘Which QB could surprisingly be on the offseason market?’ section, which included Kirk Cousins. One other nugget that Fowler added was people don’t expect the Falcons to sit Penix for multiple years.
“When I’ve asked people around the league whether they expect the Falcons to show restraint and sit Michael Penix Jr. for multiple years, the majority responded that they do not,” Fowler wrote.
In my estimation, the driving factors in Atlanta’s decision-making process are how the team finishes the season, how Kirk Cousins performs down the stretch and Michael Penix Jr.’s development. But for now, Kirk Cousins is the guy, and a couple of shaky performances isn’t going to change that.
