The entire offseason had been a blur for the Atlanta Falcons when it’s come to the futures of both their franchise cornerstones Julio Jones and Matt Ryan.
During last month’s NFL Draft the Falcons were one of the most unpredictable teams with a variety of options on the table as the team held the No. 4 pick in the draft. It was rumored for weeks leading up to the draft that the team would possibly trade down in the draft, select a quarterback, or take an offensive weapon and build upon the foundation already in place.
Most of the anticipation stemmed from whether or not the new regime of general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith would draft a quarterback to replace Matt Ryan in the near future. Ultimately the team went in a different direction selecting Florida Gators tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 pick, who many have labeled as a generational talent.
“They hired the wrong guys if they thought we were going to lower expectations, take our time, and rebuild,” said Smith to Peter King of Football Morning in America.
Selecting Pitts was a clear message that the team is willing to ride with Ryan as the franchise quarterback going forward. The team solidified that decision by signing veteran quarterback AJ McCarron to a 1-year deal during the second round of the NFL Draft.
As for wide receiver Julio Jones, the future remains unclear as the star receiver has been brought up in trade talks over the past weeks. The development of Calvin Ridley and the addition of Kyle Pitts may have the Falcons thinking they can still be elite on offense with Jones’ departure. The Falcons won’t be able to replace Jones’ ability and impact on offense, but it would allow the team to improve significant parts of the roster.
A post-June trade would save the Falcons about $15 million against the cap and would allow the team to be active in free agency. Strengthening the offensive line and defense are all needs for the Falcons that they’ve addressed in the draft but could add on through free-agent signings. The possibility of holding onto both Jones and Ryan becomes a looming problem for the Falcons as both take up over $63 million of the possible $180 million cap space.
Keeping Jones in Atlanta is still on the table for the Falcons and would form arguably the best offense in football, yet the question remains on whether or not that translates to wins.
Both Ryan and Jones are on the record stating they want to be Falcons forever, but Atlanta’s front office has tough decisions to make moving forward.
